Subcutaneous mycosis caused by filamentous basidiomycete Megasporoporia setulosa-first report of human infection

Abstract

Filamentous basidiomycetes are an emerging cause of human infection in tropical and subtropical regions. We report a case of subcutaneous infection caused by the shelf fungus, Megasporoporia setulosa, in an immunocompetent male. This is also the first report of human infection caused by this filamentous basidiomycete. Identification of the fungus could only be achieved by sequencing the ITS and LSU regions of rDNA. The patient recovered following surgery and treatment with amphotericin B and oral itraconazole. This report underscores the cross-kingdom pathogenicity of plant fungi and the importance of molecular tools for definitive identification of nonsporulating fungal species.

Keywords

• Subcutaneous mycosis
• Megasporoporia setulosa
• Filamentous basidiomycetes
• DNA sequencing
• Molecular phylogeny