Acremonium species: a review of the etiological agents of emerging hyalohyphomycosis

Abstract

Unusual fungal agents that exist environmentally as saprophytes can often lead to opportunistic infections. Hyalohyphomycosis is a group of fungal infections caused by fungi characterized by hyaline septate hyphae and can infect both immunocompetent as well as immunocompromised patients. Many a times it becomes difficult to distinguish a pathogenic and a contaminant fungus, because many such agents can assume clinical significance depending on circumstances. Subcutaneous and invasive fungal infection due to the emerging hyalohyphomycotic fungus, Acremonium, has drawn the attention of clinicians and microbiologists, as a potential pathogen in patients with and without underlying risk factors. Generally considered to be minimally invasive in the past, genus Acremonium has been responsible for eumycotic mycetomas and focal infections in otherwise healthy individuals. It has also been increasingly implicated in systemic fungal diseases. The management with different antifungals in various clinical situations has been very conflicting and hence needs to be carefully evaluated. This overview is an endeavor to consolidate the available clinical infections due to Acremonium and the recommendations on treatment.