Fatal cerebral mycoses caused by the ascomycete Chaetomium strumarium

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1: J Clin Microbiol. 1995 Oct;33(10):2692-8.

Fatal cerebral mycoses caused by the ascomycete Chaetomium

strumarium.

Abbott SP, Sigler L, McAleer R, McGough DA, Rinaldi MG, Mizell G.

University of Alberta Microfungus Collection and Herbarium, Devonian

Botanic Garden, Edmonton, Canada.

Three cases of fatal cerebral mycosis in males with prior histories

of intravenous drug use from the United States and Australia are

reported. Infection in each case was limited to brain abscess; no

other sites of infection were observed. The fungus seen by

histopathology and isolated from the brain tissue in each case was

identified as Chaetomium strumarium. This is the first report of

human infection by this species, and C. strumarium is the second

species of Chaetomium known to cause primary brain infection.

Chaetomium strumarium is unusual among members of the genus

Chaetomium in forming ascocarps covered with pale, thin-walled,

flexuous hairs, a feature leading to its original placement in the

genus Achaetomium. Presence of pinkish exudate droplets and/or

crystals associated with hyphae or ascocarps, sometimes accompanied

by a pinkish diffusible pigment; good growth at 42 degrees C; and

production of small conidia further distinguish this species. The

brain abscess isolates were compared with isolates from prior cases

of cerebral infection which had been identified as either Chaetomium

atrobrunneum or Chaetomium globosum. With reidentification of one

isolate originally identified as C. globosum to C. atrobrunneum,

only C. strumarium and C. atrobrunneum have been confirmed to cause

infection involving the brain.