| Description: | This image shows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) scientist Naureen Iqbal reading the results of an antifungal drug susceptibility test during the 2012 multistate fungal meningitis outbreak investigation. See PHIL 15154, for a closer view of the susceptibility test.
During the multistate fungal meningitis outbreak of 2012, the CDC and FDA confirmed the presence of a fungus known as Exserohilum rostratum in unopened medication vials of preservative-free methylprednisolone acetate. See the link below providing additional information about this outbreak.Exserohilum is a common mold found in soil and on plants, especially grasses, and thrives in warm and humid climates. Exserohilum rarely causes infections for people. The most common infections caused by Exserohilum are sinusitis and skin infections, but it can cause keratitis (eye inflammation), subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis, endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart), and osteomyelitis (bone infection). Exserohilum rostratum has been recognized as a human pathogen. |
