<i>Kodamaea ohmeri</i>as an Emerging Pathogen in Mainland China: 3 Case Reports and Literature Review

Abstract

A variety of unusual fungal infections have appeared at a rapidly accelerating rate during the past few decades, particularly in immunocompromised patients due to use of cytotoxic or immunosuppressive drugs, insertion of medical devices, the increasing longevity of patients with chronic degenerative diseases and, especially, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. These factors predispose patients to opportunistic fungal infections. Kodamaea ohmeri (K ohmeri, previously known as Pichia ohmeri and Yamadazyma ohmeri) is a teleomorph of Candida guilliermondii var membranifaciens. As a yeast in the Saccharomycetaceae family, K ohmeri is commonly used in the food industry for its fermentation properties in pickling, salt brines, and for preventing fruit spoilage. 3 However, K ohmeri also is emerging as an opportunistic fungal pathogen. We identified 32 reported cases in the medical literature since March 1998. We cribe 3 cases of K ohmeri infections in mainland China and review all the previously reported cases.