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Review
. 2020 Dec 11;20(1):945.
doi: 10.1186/s12879-020-05679-z.

Hormographiella aspergillata: an emerging basidiomycete in the clinical setting? A case report and literature review

Maxime Moniot  1   2 , Rose-Anne Lavergne  3 , Thomas Morel  4 , Romain Guieze  5 , Florent Morio  3 , Philippe Poirier  4   6 , Céline Nourrisson  4   6
Affiliations
Review

Hormographiella aspergillata: an emerging basidiomycete in the clinical setting? A case report and literature review

Maxime Moniot et al. BMC Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Filamentous basidiomycetes are mainly considered to be respiratory tract colonizers but the clinical significance of their isolation in a specimen is debatable. Hormographiella aspergillata was first reported as a human pathogen in 1971. We discuss the role of this mold as a pathogen or colonizer and give an update on diagnostic tools and in vitro antifungal susceptibility.

Case presentation: We identified three cases of H. aspergillata with respiratory symptoms in a short period of time. One invasive infection and two colonizations were diagnosed. Culture supernatants showed that H. aspergillata can produce galactomannan and β-D-glucan but not glucuronoxylomannan. For the first time, isavuconazole susceptibility was determined and high minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were found. Liposomal amphotericin B and voriconazole have the lowest MICs.

Conclusion: To date, 22 invasive infections involving H. aspergillata have been reported. On isolation of H. aspergillata, its pathogenic potential in clinical settings can be tricky. Molecular identification and antifungal susceptibility testing are essential considering high resistance against several antifungal therapies.

Keywords: Antifungal susceptibility; Basidiomycete; Coprinus cinereus; Fungal colonization; Hormographiella aspergillata; Mould.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Chest computed tomography scan of HA1 patient showing a right lower lobe opacification and b increase in the lesion size 1 week later
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Microscopy examination of bronchoalveolar lavage from patient HA1 by Gomori-Grocott staining showing the presence of septate hyphae. Scale-bar: 10 μm
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Macroscopic and microscopic morphology of Hormographiella aspergillata on potato dextrose agar (PDA) subculture after 3 days of incubation at 25 °C. a White to cream colored velvety colonies with irregular margin on the recto side. b Verso side of the colonies showing light yellow color. c, d Slide culture of Hormographiella aspergillata showing hyaline septate hyphae with conidiophores and cylindrical arthroconidia without clamp connection, scale-bar: 200 μm (c) and 50 μm (d)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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