Fatal bronchial invasion of Scopulariopsis brevicaulis in an acute monocytic leukemia patient

Abstract

A case of fatal invasion of Scopulariopsis brevicaulis to the bronchus in an acute monocytic leukemia (M(5)) patient is described. This infection leads to mediastinal emphysema, bronchial bleeding, and bronchial obstruction before finally spreading to the entire lung. The patient was initially diagnosed with pulmonary aspergillosis based on clinical signs and morphological examination. However, S. brevicaulis was finally identified by 18S rDNA sequencing. The patient failed lipid amphotericin B therapy and voriconazole plus caspofungin combination therapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on S. brevicaulis affecting the bronchus and resulting in a fatal prognosis in an M(5) patient.