Lomentospora prolificans Disseminated Infections: A Systematic Review of Reported Cases

• Published in: Pathogens (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 67
• Main Authors: Konsoula, Afroditi, Agouridis, Aris P, Markaki, Lamprini, Tsioutis, Constantinos, Spernovasilis, Nikolaos
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 31-12-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Bias; Bones; Case reports; Central nervous system; Chi-square test; dissemination; fungal infection; Fungi; Immunocompetence; immunocompromised; Infections; Lomentospora prolificans; Malignancy; Mortality; Neutropenia; Pathogens; Patients; Stem cell transplantation; Stem cells; Surgery; Systematic Review; Transplantation; United States > US; Japan; Thailand; Spain; India; Canada; South Korea; Netherlands; Belgium; Poland; Brazil; Italy; Mexico; Australia; France; Germany; Lomentospora prolificans; fungal infection; immunocompromised; dissemination
• ISSN: 2076-0817; 2076-0817
• DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12010067

, a rare, highly virulent filamentous fungus with high rates of intrinsic resistance to antifungals, has been associated with different types of infections in immunocompromised as well as immunocompetent individuals.
To systematically address all relevant evidence regarding
disseminated infections in the literature.
We searched Medline via PubMed and Scopus databases through July 2022. We performed a qualitative synthesis of published articles reporting disseminated infections from
in humans.
A total of 87 studies describing 142 cases were included in our systematic review. The pathogen was most frequently reported in disseminated infections in Spain (n = 47), Australia (n = 33), the USA (n = 21), and Germany (n = 10). Among 142 reported cases, 48.5% were males. Underlying conditions identified for the majority of patients included malignancy (72.5%), hemopoietic stem cell transplantation (23.2%), solid organ transplantation (16%), and AIDS (2%). Lungs, central nervous system, skin, eyes, heart and bones/joints were the most commonly affected organs. Neutropenia was recorded in 52% of patients. The mortality rate was as high as 87.3%.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first systematic review conducted on disseminated infections due to this rare microorganism. Physicians should be aware that
can cause a diversity of infections with high mortality and primarily affects immunocompromised and neutropenic patients.