title: Disseminated Scopulariopsis-culture is required to distinguish from other disseminated mould infections.
abstract: Disseminated fungal infections are a major cause of mortality in severely immunocompromised bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients. Scopulariopsis is a soil saprophytic mould that is typically associated with onychomycosis and only rarely associated with disseminated infection with cutaneous findings. We describe a case of fatal disseminated Scopulariopsis infection in a 56-year-old neutropenic male with chronic myelogenous leukemia status post peripheral blood stem cell transplant that was clinically and histologically indistinguishable from disseminated Aspergillus, Fusarium or zygomycosis infection. Distinguishing the above listed fungi by tissue culture is crucial because disseminated Scopulariopsis is difficult to eradicate and associated with a high mortality rate in the immunocompromised BMT patient population.
authors.affiliation: University of Iowa, Departments of Dermatology and Pathology, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA. swickbrian@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Brian L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Swick
authors.forename: Sindhura C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Friedrichs
authors.forename: Mary Seabury
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Stone
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003881:Dermatomycoses / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D046509:Tissue Culture Techniques