Subcutaneous phaeohyphomycosis caused by Scolecobasidium humicola in a cat

Scolecobasidium humicola was isolated from granulomatous lesions on the tail and foot of a cat. The paw lesion, of 2 years duration, had recurred after surgical debridement and antibiotic therapy. In tissue sections of the biopsy, S. humicola was observed in the form of broad, septate, dematiaceous hyphal elements and thick-walled, chlamydoconidium-like cells. The cat was successfully treated with ketoconazole and has since shown no signs of recurrence. This is the first record of S. humicola being an etiologic agent of phaeohyphomycosis in a mammalian host.