A pseudoepidemic of sporothrix cyanescens pneumonia occurring during renovation of a bronchoscopy suite

Sporothrix cyanescens, an uncommonly isolated mold, was cultured from biopsy tissue, bronchial washings and sputum obtained at bronchoscopy from four patients during a one-month period. These patients had undergone fiberoptic bronchoscopy to aid in the diagnosis of pneumonic infiltrates. During this period of time the bronchoscopy suite was being extensively renovated. Cultures of bronchoscopes, biopsy forceps and effluents from the bronchoscopy injection ports were negative for fungi, as were all environmental samples taken from the bronchoscopy suite. Known pulmonary pathogens were eventually isolated from two of the patients and the pneumonias resolved in all four patients. It is believed that bronchoscopy material was contaminated by dust created during modernization of the bronchoscopy suite and that the four isolates represent a unique pseudoepidemic of S. cyanescens pneumonia.