Fungemia due to Saprochaete capitata in a non-neutropenic patient hospitalized in an intensive care unit after cardiac surgery

Summary The majority of invasive fungal infections observed in non-neutropenic patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit are caused by Candida spp and current guidelines recommend echinocandins as the first-line treatment. Fungemias caused by filamentous or arthrosporic fungi such as Saprochaete capitata (previously named Geotrichum capitatum ) are extremely rare. In fact, invasive infections due to S. capitata have been reported almost exclusively in neutropenic oncohematological patients. In this report, we describe a case of fungemia caused by S. capitata in a non-neutropenic patient hospitalized in an intensive care unit after aortic valve replacement. The prompt identification of S. capitata is extremely important because of its intrinsic resistance to echinocandins.