Bone marrow necrosis related to paracoccidioidomycosis: the first eight cases identified at autopsy

AIMS To report the first eight bone marrow necrosis (BMN) cases related to paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) from patient autopsies with well-documented bone marrow (BM) histology and cytology. METHODS AND RESULTS A retrospective evaluation was performed on BM specimens from eight autopsied patients from Botucatu University Hospital with PCM-related BMN. Relevant BMN literature was searched and analysed. CONCLUSIONS All eight patients had acute PCM. Six had histological only (biopsies) and two cytological only (smears) specimens. Five biopsy specimens revealed severe and one mild coagulation patterned necrotic areas. Five had osteonecrosis. The cytological specimens also showed typical BMN patterns. Paracoccidioides brasiliensis yeast forms were visible within necrotic areas in all cases.