# Invasive Infection With Purpureocillium lilacinum: A Case of Fungal Peritonitis

**Authors:** John M West, Lissete Whitaker, James Grubbs, Hasan Samra

PMC · DOI: 10.7759/cureus.99526 · Cureus · 2025-12-18

## TL;DR

A 15-year-old girl developed rare fungal peritonitis caused by Purpureocillium lilacinum, successfully treated with isavuconazole after initial treatment failure.

## Contribution

Reports the first case of P. lilacinum peritonitis treated with isavuconazole.

## Key findings

- P. lilacinum peritonitis was confirmed through peritoneal fluid cultures.
- Fluconazole treatment failed, but isavuconazole resolved the infection.
- This is the fourth reported case of P. lilacinum peritonitis in medical literature.

## Abstract

Purpureocillium lilacinum is an environmental mold that is a rare yet emerging cause of opportunistic infection in humans. When infection does occur, it most often involves ocular or cutaneous structures, although other infections are increasingly reported. P. lilacinum has notably been documented to display resistance to several mainstay antifungal drugs. Here, we describe a case of peritoneal dialysis-associated mold peritonitis due to P. lilacinum. The patient was a 15-year-old female presenting with abdominal pain and a clogged peritoneal dialysis catheter. Peritoneal fluid cultures displayed mold growth, which would subsequently be identified as P. lilacinum. After initial treatment failure with fluconazole, the patient was successfully treated with a long course of isavuconazole. This case highlights just the fourth reported case of P. lilacinum peritonitis in the medical literature and the first treated with isavuconazole.

## Linked entities

- **Chemicals:** fluconazole (PubChem CID 3365), isavuconazole (PubChem CID 6918485)
- **Diseases:** peritonitis (MONDO:1010128)
- **Species:** Purpureocillium lilacinum (taxon 33203)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** Fungal Peritonitis (MESH:D010538), Infection (MESH:D007239), abdominal pain (MESH:D015746), opportunistic infection (MESH:D009894)
- **Chemicals:** fluconazole (MESH:D015725), isavuconazole (MESH:C508735)
- **Species:** Purpureocillium lilacinum (species) [taxon 33203], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

13 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12811829/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12811829