Disseminated Scopulariopsis brevicaulis infection in an allogeneic stem cell recipient: case report and review of the literature

A fatal case of disseminated Scopulariopsis brevicaulis infection in an allogeneic stem cell transplant recipient is described. The patient was initially thought to have pulmonary aspergillosis, on the basis of clinical signs and antigenaemia, but Aspergillus was not isolated by culture. Scopulariopsis brevicaulis was subsequently isolated from skin and then from sputum and stool. Further investigation revealed that the infection had spread from a primary pulmonary site to the skin. A review of the literature underscores the difficulty of diagnosing infections caused by such emerging fungal pathogens and the poor outcome of immunocompromised patients with non-Aspergillus mould infections.