Osteomyelitis of the rib cage by Aspergillus flavus.
BACKGROUND
Aspergillus osteomyelitis of the ribs is relatively uncommon. It is a debilitating and severe form of invasive aspergillosis.


CASE REPORT
A 61year-old female presented with spontaneous chest pain on the right side of the rib cage and a palpable soft-tissue mass. FDG-PET/CT scan identified activity in the infected site. The lesion was punctured, and purulent material was sent to the laboratory. Aspergillus complex Flavi was isolated. An antifungal treatment with voriconazole was started. The lesion healed, and no recurrence was observed at 8-month follow-up. Molecular identification of the isolate was based on PCR amplification and sequencing of β-tubulin gene. Aspergillus flavus was identified.


CONCLUSIONS
Our case highlights the relevance of microbiological studies in patients with osteomyelitis and the involvement of soft tissue. The FDG-PET/CT scan was found to be a useful tool for revealing the extent of the disease and evaluating the response to the antifungal therapy.
['Landaburu|María Fernanda|MF|', 'López Daneri|Gabriela|G|', 'Ploszaj|Federico|F|', 'Kruss|Mariana|M|', 'Vinante|Alejandra|A|', 'Veciño|Cecilia H|CH|', 'Mujica|María Teresa|MT|']
D000935:Antifungal Agents D001228:Aspergillosis D001231:Aspergillus flavus D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008875:Middle Aged D010019:Osteomyelitis D000072078:Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography D000070602:Rib Cage D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed D065819:Voriconazole
Osteomyelitis Aspergillus flavus β-Tubulin gene Aspergillus section Flavi complex Complejo Aspergillus sección Flavi Gen de la β-tubulina Ibrutinib Osteomielitis