Fusariosis in haematological malignancy – the skin is the clue… Experiences from the National Cancer Institute of Sri Lanka: a case report

We present two patients with haematological malignancies who developed skin lesions while neutropaenic and were subsequently diagnosed as having fusariosis. Although fusariosis is not as common as other fungal infections such as aspergillosis and candidiasis, it has to be considered in the diagnosis of immunocompromised patients who present with skin manifestations. Awareness of fusariosis, and early diagnosis and appropriate treatment is essential to reduce mortality. </p

Immune responses to a single dose of the AZD1222/Covishield vaccine in health care workers

Several COVID-19 vaccines have received emergency approval. Here we assess the immunogenicity of a single dose of the AZD1222 vaccine, at one month, in a cohort of health care workers (HCWs) (629 naïve and 26 previously infected). 93.4% of naïve HCWs seroconverted, irrespective of age and gender. Haemagglutination test for antibodies to the receptor binding domain (RBD), surrogate neutralization assay (sVNT) and ex vivo IFNγ ELISpot assays were carried out in a sub-cohort. ACE2 blocking antibodies (measured by sVNT) were detected in 67/69 (97.1%) of naïve HCWs. Antibody levels to the RBD of the wild-type virus were higher than to RBD of B.1.1.7, and titres to B.1.351 were very low. Ex vivo T cell responses were observed in 30.8% to 61.7% in naïve HCWs. Previously infected HCWs, developed significantly higher (p < 0.0001) ACE2 blocking antibodies and antibodies to the RBD for the variants B.1.1.7 and B.1.351. This study shows high seroconversion after one vaccine dose, but also suggests that one vaccine dose may be insufficient to protect against emerging variants