Volume 13, Number 8—August 2007
Research
Infection with Scedosporium apiospermum and S. prolificans, Australia
Louise Cooley*†, Denis Spelman*, Karin Thursky‡, and Monica Slavin*‡
Table 1
Characteristics and outcomes of patients infected with Scedosporium spp., Australia, 1997–2003
| Characteristic | S. apiospermum | S. prolificans |
|---|---|---|
| No. patients | 31 | 28 |
| Patient demographics | ||
| Mean age (range), y | 40 | 42 |
| Sex (M:F) | 19:12 | 16:12 |
| Immunocompromised (%) | 21 (68) | 14 (50) |
| Stem cell transplant | 0 | 6 |
| Hematologic malignancy | 0 | 2 |
| Lung and/or heart transplant | 13 | 6 |
| HIV infection, cancer, immunosuppression | 8 | 0 |
| Immunocompetent (%) | 10 (32) | 14 (50) |
| Cystic fibrosis | 5 | 6 |
| Airways disease* | 4 | 3 |
| Sinusitis | 1 | 3 |
| Other condition† | 0 | 2 |
| Specimen type | ||
| Respiratory tract (%) | 27 (68) | 20 (71) |
| Tissue | 3 | 6 |
| Blood | 0 | 4 |
| Other‡ | 2 | 1 |
| Additional microorganisms identified (%) | 16 (42) | 14 (50) |
| Molds§ | 9 | 10 |
| Bacteria¶ | 9 | 8 |
| Outcome at 1 mo | ||
| Invasive infection (%)# | 2 (6) | 10 (36) |
| Died at 1 mo (%)** | 6 (19) | 5 (18) |
| Died of scedosporiosis (%)†† | 1 (3) | 5 (18) |
| Attributable mortality rate of invasive disease (%)‡‡ | 1/2 (50) | 5/10 (50) |
*Bronchiectasis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
†Osteoarthritis and trauma.
‡Ear swab, central catheter tip, and synovial fluid.
§Aspergillus spp, Rhizopus orrhyzae, and Paecilomyces sp.
¶Bacteria not found in normal flora included Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Staphylococcus aureus, Nocardia sp., and Mycobacterium avium complex.
#Odds ratio (OR) 6.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.62–27.12, p = 0.001.
**OR 1.11, 95% CI 0.40–3.04, p = 0.84.
††OR 5.53, 95% CI 0.68–44.54, p = 0.06.
‡‡OR 1.0, 95% CI 0.21–4.56, p = 1.0.
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Page updated: June 30, 2010
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