Volume 31, Number 10—October 2025
Research Letter
Increased Rates of Purpureocillium lilacinum Mold among Laboratory Culture Results, United States
Dallas J. Smith
, Luisa F. López, Meghan Lyman, Claire Paisley-Jones, and Kaitlin Benedict
, Luisa F. López, Meghan Lyman, Claire Paisley-Jones, and Kaitlin Benedict
Table
Patient characteristics in study of increased rates of Purpureocillium lilacinum mold among laboratory culture results, United States*
| Characteristic | Value | Rate† |
|---|---|---|
| Year of sample collection, n = 1,180 | ||
| 2019 | 136 (12) | 56.6 |
| 2020 | 134 (11) | 50.5 |
| 2021 | 182 (15) | 59.3 |
| 2022 | 224 (19) | 71.7 |
| 2023 | 210 (18) | 62.8 |
| 2024 | 258 (22) | 74.3 |
| 2025 |
36 (3) |
61.9 |
| Median patient age, y (IQR) |
65.0 (53.0–74.0) |
|
| Age group, y, n = 1,175 | ||
| 0–17 | 40 (3) | 21.6 |
| 18–44 | 154 (13) | 41.0 |
| 45–64 | 357 (30) | 59.7 |
| >65 |
624 (53) |
89.7 |
| Sex, n = 1,159 | ||
| M | 607 (52) | 68.8 |
| F |
552 (48) |
58.9 |
| US Census division, n = 1,172‡ | ||
| East North Central | 91 (8) | 69.1 |
| East South Central | 139 (12) | 78.9 |
| Middle Atlantic | 11 (1) | 3.6 |
| Mountain | 13 (1) | 11.6 |
| New England | <10 (<1) | 28.7 |
| Pacific | 263 (22) | 100.3 |
| South Atlantic | 603 (51) | 110.6 |
| West North Central | <10 (<1) | 6.7 |
| West South Central |
44 (4) |
17.3 |
| Provider type, n = 1,100 | ||
| Hospital | 567 (52) | |
| Family practice or internal medicine | 132 (12) | |
| Dermatology | 111 (10) | |
| Podiatry | 71 (6) | |
| Pulmonary disease | 55 (5) | |
| Otolaryngology | 45 (4) | |
| Ophthalmology | 14 (1) | |
| Other |
105 (10) |
|
| Median days from collection to result (IQR) |
23.0 (15.0–33.0) |
|
| Specimen type, n = 670 | ||
| Respiratory | 254 (38) | |
| Nail | 106 (16) | |
| Skin | 82 (12) | |
| Sinonasal | 13 (2) | |
| Eye | 12 (2) | |
| Isolate | 183 (27) | |
| Other | 20 (3) | |
*Values are no. (%) except as indicated. IQR, interquartile range. †Positive results/100,000 cultures. Fungal cultures identified by Logical Observation Identifier Names and Codes nos. 188243, 188573, 188805, 42804–5, and 580–1. ‡US Census, https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf.
Page created: September 15, 2025
Page updated: September 25, 2025
Page reviewed: September 25, 2025
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