DESCRIPTIONS OF MEDICAL FUNGI

Descriptions of Medical Fungi 113
Synonymy: Scedosporium prolificans (Hennebert & Desai) Gueho & de Hoog.
Scedosporium inflatum Malloch & Salkin.
Lomentospora prolificans (formerly Scedosporium prolificans) is phylogenetically and
morphologically distinguishable from Scedosporium species (Lennon et al. 1994,
Lackner et al. 2014a).
L. prolificans appears to occupy a restricted geographic range, with infections occurring
mainly in Australia, Spain, and the United States (Heath et al. 2009, Revankar and
Sutton, 2010). L. prolificans infections are refractory to antifungal therapy and are
associated with high mortality. Major risk factors include malignancy, cystic fibrosis,
and solid organ transplantation. The main clinical presentations are disseminated
infection and pulmonary mycoses, followed by bone and joint infections (Cortez et al.
2008, Heath et al. 2009, Rodriguez-Tudela et al. 2009, Revankar and Sutton, 2010).
RG-2 organism.
Lomentospora prolificans Hennebert & Desai
Morphological Description: Colonies are rapid growing, flat, spreading, olive-grey
to black and have a suede-like to downy surface texture. Conidia are borne in small
groups on distinctive basally swollen, flask-shaped conidiophores, which occur singly
or in clusters along the vegetative hyphae. Conidia are aggregated in slimy heads,
single-celled, hyaline to pale-brown, ovoid to pyriform, 3-7 x 2-5 µm, and have smooth
thick walls. Growth at 45 O C.
Key Features: Dematiaceous hyphomycete with initial black pasty colony, conidiophores
with distinctly swollen bases, and the conidial mass forms apical aggregates of conidia.
A Graphium synanamorph is absent and there is no growth on media containing
cycloheximide (actidione).
Molecular Identification: Recommended genetic markers: ITS and β-tubulin.
References: Malloch and Salkin (1984), Salkin et al. (1988), Rippon (1988), Wilson
et al. (1990), Gueho and de Hoog (1991), Lennon et al. (1994), Gilgado et al. (2005),
Rainer and de Hoog (2006), Revankar and Sutton (2010), Lackner et al. (2014a), de
Hoog et al. (2015).
Antifungal Susceptibility: L. prolificans (Australian National data); MIC µg/mL.
No. 64
AmB 190 1 2 17 47 93 30
VORI 183 1 6 31 62 83
POSA 105 1 1 103
ITRA 191 2 189