The genus Scedosporium, which comprises at least five clinically relevant species, i.e. Scedosporium apiospermum, Scedosporium boydii, Scedosporium aurantiacum, Scedosporium dehoogii and Scedosporium minutisporum, ranks the second among the filamentous fungi colonizing the airways of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). This colonization of the airways is thought to contribute to the inflammatory reaction leading to a progressive deterioration of the lung function. Additionally, these colonizing fungi may lead to severe disseminated infections in case of lung transplantation. Therefore, considering the low susceptibility of Scedosporium species to all current antifungal drugs, preventive measures should be defined to reduce the risk of exposure to these fungi for non-colonized CF patients. With this in mind, several studies have been conducted to elucidate the ecology of these fungi and to define possible sources of patient contamination. This review will summarize the major outcomes of those studies, including: the clear demonstration that ecological niches of Scedosporium species are strongly impacted by human activities, and the ability of Scedosporium species to degrade aliphatic and aromatic pollutants which supports the high occurrence of these species in contaminated soils and polluted waters and makes them promising candidates for bioremediation purposes. Finally, prospects for future research in this field are proposed.

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Scedosporium species are opportunistic pathogens causing various infections, including disseminated infections in severely immunocompromised patients. Preventive measures aiming to reduce the risk of exposure to these fungi require a better knowledge on their ecology and on the sources of contamination of the patients. In this context, 99 soil samples from the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra and Fez-Meknes regions in Morocco were analyzed. Samples were inoculated on the highly selective Scedo-Select III culture medium, and seven chemical parameters of the soils were measured. Scedosporium species were detected in 48 of the samples, with the highest density in soils from wastewater treatment plants and landfills, followed by those from roadsides and polluted riverbanks, thus confirming the impact of human activities on their ecology. Scedosporium apiospermum was the most common species, followed by S. boydii and S. aurantiacum. Analysis of the chemical parameters of the soils revealed the presence of Scedosporium species was mainly associated with a moderate electrical conductivity, a pH range of 7.0 to 7.6, a nutrient-rich content and a moderate phosphorus amount. Thereby, these results demonstrated the relatively high occurrence of Scedosporium in Morocco and highlighted the impact of phosphorus content on their ecology.