Background: Kodamaea ohmeri is a yeast is frequently mistaken for Candida, which belongs to the same family. This micro-organism has been reported to cause life-threatening infections in humans.
Case presentation: A 81-year-old woman developed a severe fungemic pulmonary infection due to Kodamaea ohmeri that was identified from bronchoalveolar fluid and blood cultures, which is unusual in immunocompetent patients. Because K. ohmeri was first wrongly identified as Candida albicans, the patient inadequately received caspofungin, which was clinically ineffective, especially as the strain was resistant to echinocandins. Clinical cure was obtained after treatment was switched to voriconazole.
Conclusions: An increasing number of serious infections due to K. ohmeri has been reported in the literature, but the correct identification of this micro-organism remains difficult.
Keywords: Fungemia; Kodamaea ohmeri.