Note: When I took this photograph, the only camera in my arsenal was a film camera. Since then, changes have occured not only in photographic technology but in the nomencature of this genus. This fungus previously known as Scedosporium inflatum was renamed as Scedosporium prolificans. Please visit the new post within this blog by clicking on the link within this paragraph. To learn more about the cameras used to take the photographs, please visit my blog post entitled 'Toys'.
Scedosporium inflatum is a filamentous fungus which is found in the severely immunodepressed including those with hematologic malignancy and recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell, heart-lung, lung, liver and renal transplants and occasionally in normal hosts as well. It can cause lesions in the sinuses, lungs, bones and central nervous system. The formation by S. inflatum of annelloconidia in wet clumps at the apices of annellides with swollen bases was found to be the most useful characteristic in differentiating this potential pathogen. Dissemination throughout the body might be prevented with combined itraconazole and fluconazole treatment. Variconazole is considered first-line treatment by some.
The above photo is of the hyphae and conidia stained with Lactophenol Cotton Blue and viewed x800.
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