Disseminated infection caused by Scedosporium prolificans in a patient with acute multilineal leukemia

In this report, we describe a case of disseminated infection caused by Scedosporium prolificans (S. inflatum) in a patient affected by chemotherapy-induced acute multilineal leukemia and neutropenia. For the fungus isolated in four blood cultures, high MICs of currently available antifungal agents were found. Postmortem examination revealed multiorgan involvement. In 1984, Malloch and Salkin described a dematiaceous fun-gus, Scedosporium inflatum, as a new human pathogen (12). Although the first infections described were located in the joints (11, 21), other cases have since been reported with en-docarditis (20), meningoencephalitis (10), corneal infection (14), and even sinusitis of dental origin (3). Colonies of the fungus have also been identified in the external auditory con-duct (21) and in the respiratory tract (8). Certain invasive techniques and prosthetic implants, as well as treatments with immunosuppressive chemotherapeutic agents, appear to have contributed to the increase in severe disseminated mycosis