Kneiffiella palmae: A non-Aspergillus fungal infection isolated from a pulmonary nodule in a child with chronic granulomatous disease

Abstract

We report the first known human case of Kneiffiella palmae in the medical literature. K. palmae was isolated from a pulmonary nodule in a 7-year-old male with chronic granulomatous disease. The mold was identified as K. palmae at a national reference laboratory, where 17 other human respiratory samples tested positive for K. palmae from 2013 to 2021. Optimal antimicrobial treatment is unknown, but azoles and amphotericin B demonstrated in vitro activity against each tested isolate.

Keywords

• Kneiffiella palmae
• Hyphodontia palmae
• Basidiomycota
• Chronic granulomatous disease
• Immunocompromised host