Curvularia Pneumonia Presenting as a Mass-Like Lesion

Curvularia species of fungi are ubiquitous and mostly comprise plant or soil residents. Rarely pathogens, they are found in tropical and subtropical climates. On rare occasions, these fungi can be of clinical significance and lead to a variety of disease processes, mainly in immunocompromised individuals. Most infections are limited to allergic fungal rhinosinusitis; however, disseminated disease and invasive infections have been increasingly reported. There exist no therapeutic guidelines for invasive Curvularia infections currently, but amphotericin and various azoles have been used with varying degrees of success. We present a unique case of an immunocompetent 44-year-old female who presented with symptoms concerning for pneumonia and was found to have a mass-like lesion in the lung concerning for malignancy. Biopsy and histopathology of the lesion were consistent with invasive Curvularia pulmonary infection. We reviewed this case in the setting of reported literature concerning Curvularia with an emphasis on the epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis, and emerging management protocols of invasive Curvularia infections.