Brain abscesses caused by Cladophialophora bantiana in a lung transplant patient: A case report and review of the literature.

Cladophialophora bantiana brain abscesses are rare, but are frequently and quickly lethal in transplanted patients. We report the case of a 63-year-old man who had undergone lung transplantation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and presented with headaches and a neurological deficit. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple brain abscesses. C. bantiana was identified by DNA sequencing performed directly on cerebral tissue obtained by surgical biopsy. After 6 months of antifungal treatment, the brain abscesses were replaced by ischemic sequelae. The patient died suddenly 2 months later from a pulmonary bacterial infection. This is the second reported case of C. bantiana brain abscesses in a lung transplant recipient, to our knowledge, who experienced a long survival period with medical antifungal treatment alone. We review the literature and discuss our treatment.