Histopathological clues in the diagnosis of fungal infection by Scedosporium in a case of endophthalmitis starting as conjunctivitis

Cutaneous fungal infections can result in disastrous episodes if improperly diagnosed and treated, especially in immunosuppressed patients. Although dermatopathologists are highly familiar with some filamentous fungi – such as Aspergillus and Zygomycetes – they are not so aware of other less common species. We report a case of ocular infection by Scedosporium apiospermum that started as conjunctivitis and resulted in Phthisis bulbi and subsequent exeresis of the left eye. We describe some of the main morphological features of the fungus as well as the important morphological clues for the differential diagnosis with some similar species, such as Aspergillus, Scopulariopsis, Fusarium, Paecilomyces and Zygomycetes.