Fine needle aspiration diagnosis of Penicillium marneffei infection

A disseminated infection with Penicillium marneffei, a rare human pathogen that may infect both healthy and immunocompromised patients, was diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology in a patient infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. The presence of yeast-form organisms with an eccentric or central dot and occasional septate and elongated forms highly suggested the diagnosis, which was confirmed on culture. Establishment of the diagnosis is important because this infection is potentially curable.