Geotrichum capitatum respiratory tract infection in a patient with polytrauma.

Geotrichum capitatum is a rare pathogen that causes opportunistic fungal infections in immunocompromised patients, particulary in patients with hematological malignancies. We report the case of a 72-year patient with polytrauma whose outcome was fatal. During his stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), he received a broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy and underwent different invasive procedures. After becoming febrile on the 7th day of admission, two consecutive bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens were taken for microbiological analysis. The isolated species came as G. capitatum, that was identified using VITEK 2. Unfortunately, patient died before fungal identification, so the antifungal therapy wasn't administered. This case presentation emphasizes the importance of Geotrichum capitatum as an emerging fungal pathogen, as well as the significance of the predisponing factors that contributed to development of infection.