Acute systemic histoplasmosis associated with chorioretinitis in an immunocompetent adolescent

Abstract

Histoplasmosis is an endemic, systemic mycosis caused by the dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. A minority of patients develop asymptomatic chorioretinitis known as presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (POHS), which is typically associated with chorioretinal scarring and peripapillary atrophy and occasionally with choroidal neovascularization secondary to maculopathy. We report a case of acute severe bilateral chorioretinitis associated with disseminated H. capsulatum in an immunocompetent adolescent boy living in an endemic area. The chorioretinitis did not respond to systemic antifungal therapy, but both his systemic illness and ocular lesions resolved with the addition of systemic steroids.