Lasiodiplodia theobromae isolated from a subcutaneous abscess in a Cambodian immigrant to Australia

Abstract

A patient from Cambodia presented at a hospital in Melbourne with a persistent subcutaneous abscess of the right buttock. Septate fungal hyphae were seen in biopsy tissue. Lasiodiplodia theobromae was isolated and identified by the formation of pycnidia that produced typical conidia. The abscess was managed by drainage and debridement only. We briefly review the history and importance of the fungus as a wound parasite in tropical horticulture and its relatively rare occurrence in human infections. The significance of this fungus in Australian horticulture and its potential as an opportunistic human pathogen is noted. This paper records the first isolation of L. theobromae from a human lesion in Australia and the second isolation from a subcutaneous lesion worldwide.