Talaromycosis

Talaromycosis (formally penicilliosis marneffei) is a life-threatening disease caused by a thermally dimorphic fungus Talaromyces (Penicillium) marneffei. This fungus was first isolated from a bamboo rat in Vietnam in 1956. The disease has been endemic in tropical and subtropical countries in South and Southeast Asia, especially in Vietnam, Thailand, and Southern China, where the area links to the habitat of wild rodents, the natural reservoirs of Talaromyces marneffei. The first human case of talaromycosis (penicilliosis) was reported in an American with Hodgkin’s disease who traveled to Southeast Asia in 1973. Presently, talaromycosis is recognized as an HIV-defining illness as the majority group of hosts being patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Clinical, rapid, and accurate diagnosis, together with effective treatment, are the keys associated with survival rate. Besides cultivation, a time-consuming standard method, other genomic and proteomic-based tools have been developed for the diagnosis of talaromycosis. However, each of them still carries its own limitations, including less than 100% sensitivity. Clinical manifestation and patients’ history need to be considered together with lab results to avoid misdiagnosis. About 30% of HIV-infected patients and 50% of non-HIV-infected individuals died during treatment.