Primary cerebral phaeohyphomycosis is caused by pigmented fungi that exhibit distinct neurotropism often in immunocompetent individuals. A 20-yr-old male presented with multiple brain abscess which was subsequently proven microbiologically to be due to Cladophialophora Bantiana. In spite of near total excision and appropriate antifungal agents succumbed to his illness. We report this case to hi...

Aureobasidium pullulans is an unusual agent of phaeohyphomycosis. The in vitro activities of antifungals against 104 isolates of Aureobasidium pullulans var. pullulans and A. pullulans var. melanigenum revealed low MIC90s of amphotericin B, posaconazole, and itraconazole. However, they were resistant to fluconazole (≥64 μg/ml) and had high MICs of voriconazole, isavuconazole, caspofungin, and m...

A case of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis caused by Cladophialophora sp. is reported. The patient, an immunosuppressed host presented a nodule on the dorsum of the right hand which relapsed four months after excision. Dematiaceous septate hyphal and yeast like elements were seen in mycological and histological examination. The isolated fungus was identified on the basis of micro-macromorphologic...

We describe the first case of a psoas muscle abscess caused by Nocardia beijingensis and subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis caused by Phaeoacremonium parasiticum in a renal transplant recipient. The patient was treated for nocardiosis with percutaneous drainage and intravenous trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) combined with imipenem for 2 weeks, followed by a 4-week course of intravenous TMP/...

Ramichloridium obovoideum ("Ramichloridium makenziei") is a rare cause of lethal cerebral phaeohyphomycosis. It has been, so far, geographically restricted to the Middle East. BALB/c mice were inoculated with two strains of R. obovoideum intracranially. Therapy with amphotericin B, itraconazole, or the investigational triazole SCH 56592 was conducted for 10 days. Half the mice were monitored fo...

We report a case of cerebral phaeohyphomycosis due to Wangiella dermaitidis in an immunocompetent adult man. His cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) showed pleocytosis with a high eosinophil count but without peripheral blood eosinophilia. The present case suggested that this black yeast-like fungus should be included when the causes of CSF eosinophilia are considered, even though it is an extremely rare...

We report a case of subcutaneous infection in a 55-yr-old Korean diabetic patient who presented with a cystic mass of the ankle. Black fungal colonies were observed after culturing on blood and Sabouraud dextrose agar. On microscopic observation, septated ellipsoidal or cylindrical conidia accumulating on an annellide were visualized after staining with lactophenol cotton blue. The organism was...

Phaeohyphomycosis caused by Cladophialophora bantiana was diagnosed in a 5-month-old snow leopard with spastic paralysis of the hind legs and inability to defaecate or urinate. At post-mortem examination, a greenish soft mass resembling an abscess was found on one side of the epidural space at the fourth lumbar vertebral body. Histological examination revealed a purulent meningitis with myeloma...

Background and Importance Cerebral phaeohyphomycosis is a rare but frequently fatal clinical entity caused by dematiaceous fungi like Cladophialophora bantiana. Clinical signs and symptoms related to fungal brain abscess can be subtle, and its imaging appearance may be indistinguishable from those of other intracranial mass lesions. Still, recognition of typical imaging patterns on CT and MRI ...

The genus Alternaria is one of the most common black moulds and appears to be increasing as a causative agent of subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis, particularly among immunosuppressed patients. A 53-year-old patient who had received a kidney transplant presented with multiple verrucous lesions on the distal extremities. Positive histopathology and cultures, in addition to rDNA ITS region sequencin...