INVASIVE URINARY TRACT INFECTION CAUSED BY Trichosporon asahii IN CRITICALLY ILL CATHETERISED PATIENTS: A CASE SERIES

Trichosporon spp. are basidiomycetous yeast, widely present in nature. They may be present in humans not only as colonizers of gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract etc. but also may cause superficial as well as deep seated infections. Here we present a series of critically ill patients, all presenting with different neurological illnesses, admitted in the Intensive care unit (ICU) of our hospital. All these patients were catheterised and grew Trichosporon asahii in urine culture after some days of admission. Urinary tract infections by this pathogen rarely occur. The predisposing factors being urinary obstruction, vesical catheterization or other invasive procedures done on the patient and extensive antibiotic treatment. Although, in our study Trichosporon asahii was responsible only for the invasive urinary tract infection but, it may otherwise be associated with disseminated severe infections and hence, should not be ignored if grown in any sample in the lab.