[4] Scopulariopsis candida has been identified as the cause of some invasive infections, often in immunocompromised hosts, but is not considered a common human pathogen.
[6] The anamorph was first documented, unintentionally, by Professor Fernand-Pierre-Joseph Guéguen in 1899[8] who mistook it for the species, Monilia candida, previously described in 1851 by Hermann Friedrich Bonorden.
[9] In 1911, Jean Paul Vuillemin determined that the two taxa were distinct, noting that the taxon described by Bonorden was a yeast whereas the strain that was the subject of Guéguen's studies was filamentous and produced true conidia.
[9] Subsequent researchers described taxa that have since been reduced to synonymy with S. candida, including: S. alboflavescens in 1934, S. brevicaulis var.
[10] The teleomorph was discovered by Auguste Loubière in 1923 and named Nephrospora manginii in honour of his mentor, Professor Louis Mangin.
[2][13] These fruiting bodies are also called perithecia because of their flask-like shape wherein asci grow at the base and an opening allows for the release of mature ascospores.
[2][3][13] M. manginii is a heterothallic species and as a result, generation of sexual spores requires mating between two compatible individuals.
[1] The Latin word for broom, scopula, was chosen as the basis of the generic name due to the broom-like appearance of the conidiophores of Scopulariopsis.
[13][6] The smooth hyaline annelloconidia can also distinguish S. candida from S. brevicaulis, which has conidia that are rough-walled, truncate and covered in tiny, thorny outgrowths.
[17] It is often isolated from decaying plant material, soil and indoor environments, but also human skin and nails, dust, chicken litter, atmosphere, book paper and cheese, among other locations.
[6] A case of disseminated infection caused by Scopulariopsis species in a 17-year old patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia was described in 1987.
[5] After receiving an allogenic bone marrow transplantation for cancer treatment, the patient complained of recurrent fever, nosebleeds, and abnormal sensations of the nose.
[5] The autopsy discovered Scopulariopsis species in the lungs, blood, brain and nasal septum, and exhibited high resistance to amphotericin B in vitro.
[6] The clinical presentation resembled an infection by fungi in the order Mucorales, and involved myalgia, cheek swelling and tenderness, a week-long fever, and extensive necrosis of maxillary sinuses.
[6] As a result, the presumed diagnosis was mucormycosis until further examination of patient specimens showed abundant growth of a powdery, tan mold that was distinguished as S. candida by several features (e.g., septate hyphae, round and smooth conidia, broom-shaped conidiophores).
[6] The patient immediately received surgical drainage and debridement of damaged tissue, and amphotericin B to treat the fungal infection.
[6] Subsequent identification of S. candida as the cause of disease prompted administration of additional antifungal medication, Itraconazole, to address potential amphotericin B resistance.
[6] The most significant contributor to managing the disease was likely strengthening the patient's immune system by suspending chemotherapy and administrating granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.