There are over 100,000 species of fungi. Many fungi are good and useful (edible mushrooms would be an example of these) while some cause problems (some fungi can injure plants and humans). Every week the IEQ Review will describe a specific microorganism, its morphological origin and potential health effects.  If you would like to know about a specific organism and/or would like it published in The IEQ Review please email Dr. Rajiv Sahay with the Environmental Diagnostics Laboratory (EDL) at Pure Air Control Services laboratory@pureaircontrols.com

This week we will cover ... 
 
Scedosporium prolificans

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Scedosporium prolificans is a dematiaceous filamentous fungus isolated from soil samples. Scedosporium prolificans can infect both immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts. Subcutaneous infections, osteomyelitis, and arthritis are usually posttraumatic and may affect otherwise healthy individuals. Disseminated infections, on the other hand, are mostly encountered in patients who are immunosuppressed (particularly, neutropenic) due to various reasons and are often fatal Scedosporium prolificans is now recognized as the most common cause of disseminated Cases with pneumonia, meningoencephalitis, and endocarditis have been reported. Ocular infections (keratouveitis) and colonization by Scedosporium prolificans have also been reported. Conclusively, optimal treatment of Scedosporium prolificans infections remains yet unknown and there is a great demand for novel agents with favorable activity. Importantly, the clinical outcome is closely associated with the immune status of the host, extent of the infection, and feasibility of concomitant surgical debridement.