Different types of pots and growing and casing media, including biodegradable materials, are used for plant and mushroom production. The fungus Peziza ostracoderma has gained attention for its visible growth on growing media for plants and casing media for mushrooms. Through a review of the literature we aim to evaluate whether exposure to fungi from recyclable pots and different growing and casing media occurs and causes occupational health effects. Based on the published papers, specific fungal species were not related to a specific medium. Thus P. ostracoderma has been found on paper pots, peat, sterilized soil, vermiculite, and rockwool with plants, and on peat, pumice, and paper casing for mushrooms. It has been found in high concentrations in the air in mushroom farms. Also Acremonium spp., Aspergillus niger, A. fumigatus, Athelia turficola, Aureobasidium pullulans, Chaetomium globosum, Chrysonilia sitophila, Cladosporium spp., Cryptostroma corticale, Lecanicillium aphanocladii, Sporothrix schenckii, Stachybotrys chartarum, and Trichoderma spp. have been found on different types of growing or casing media. Most of the fungi have also been found in the air in greenhouses, but the knowledge about airborne fungal species in mushroom farms is very limited. Eight publications describe cases of health effects associated directly with exposure to fungi from pots or growing or casing media. These include cases of hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by exposure to: A. fumigatus, A. niger, Au. pullulans, Cr. corticale, P. ostracoderma, and a mixture of fungi growing on different media. Different approaches have been used to avoid growth of saprophytes including: chemical fungicides, the formulation of biodegradable pots and growing media and types of peat. To increase the sustainability of growing media different types of media are tested for their use and with the present study we highlight the importance of also considering the occupational health of the growers who may be exposed to fungi from the media and pots.

We present a rare case of corneal ulcer caused by a species of a coelomycetes fungus, Chaetomium strumarium. This fungal genus is a rare causative agent of keratomycosis, with only a handful of cases reported. The clinical presentation, investigative techniques, and preliminary management of our patient are reported. The cases reported in global literature are also summarized in a tabular form in the discussion.

In this case, the authors report Chaetomium globosum as a cause of invasive pulmonary infection in a patient with Wegener\'s granulomatosis. Fungal hyphae (KOH and Calcofluor) were seen on direct microscopy of lung biopsy sample and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) sample. C. globosum isolated on culture clinched the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary infection by Chaetomium spp. A positive galactomannan of serum and BAL was repeatedly seen and was utilised for follow-up and as prognostic marker in patient management. The patient was successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin B followed by voriconazole. All the Chaetomium infections reported till date since 1980 are reviewed. Chaetomium spp. with its unique ecology has a hidden clinical potential to cause invasive mould infections.

暂无摘要。

OBJECTIVE: A case of a cerebral abscess, occurring in a patient who had undergone bone marrow transplant, caused by a new pathogen, Chaetomium atrobrunneum, and a review of the literature are presented. Although Aspergillus species are by far the most common fungi found in cerebral abscesses in immunocompromised patients, an increasing number of fungi commonly found in nature but not usually associated with infections in humans have been isolated from cerebral abscesses in these patients.
METHODS: A 31-year-old male patient, who had undergone a recent bone marrow transplantation for multiple myeloma, presented 3 months after transplantation with right-sided hemiplegia caused by a left parietal hemorrhagic lesion.
METHODS: A biopsy guided by computed tomography showed that the abscess contained the fungus C. atrobrunneum. The final identification of the organism was based on cultures, scanning electron microscopic studies, and consultation with the Fungus Testing Laboratory at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, TX. The patient was treated with several antifungal medications but developed uncontrolled cerebral edema, which led to further neurological deterioration and eventual death.
CONCLUSIONS: Cerebral abscesses in the immunocompromised patient may no longer be assumed to be caused solely by Aspergillus species. The literature reveals several rare cases of uncommon fungi found in these abscesses. Only four cases of cerebral infections caused by the genus Chaetomium have been reported. The case presented represents the first time a patient who had undergone a bone marrow transplant with a cerebral abscess was found to be caused by the pathogen C. atrobrunneum.