Masquerading Yeast: A Case Report of <i>Lomentospora prolificans</i> Fungemia With a Diagnostic Twist

<i>Lomentospora prolificans</i> is an environmental mold that is increasingly recognized as an opportunistic pathogen, particularly in immunocompromised hosts. Here we present a case of disseminated <i>Lomentospora</i> in a patient with refractory acute myeloid leukemia. In general, disseminated mold infections can be challenging to diagnose. The diagnosis in this case was delayed due to a false positive direct from a blood culture multiplex polymerase chain reaction result for <i>Candida tropicalis</i> due to amplification of nonviable DNA and misidentification of conidia as yeast forms on gram stain. The <i>Lomentospora</i> isolate was resistant to all commercially available antifungal agents, and the patient ultimately succumbed to the infection. This case provides an opportunity to review disseminated <i>Lomentospora</i> infections, the associated diagnostic challenges, and limited treatment options.