Mucormycosis is an opportunistic infection caused by fungi of the order Mucorales, environmental nonseptate molds widely distributed in soil, plants, and decaying materials [1]. Mucormycosis can be divided into the following categories on the basis of the site of infection: rhinocerebral, pulmonary, cutaneous, and disseminated [2-4]. The most common clinical presentation is rhinocerebral diseas...

Dr. Lipatov, Dr. Patel, Dr. Lat, and Dr. Shakespeare are Internal Medicine Residents at Scott and White Memorial Hospital. Dr. Wang and Dr. Prakash are Physicians at the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System; all in Temple, Texas. Correspondence: Dr. Lipatov (Kirill.Lipatov @BSWHealth.org) Mucorales fungi are ubiquitous organisms commonly inhabiting soil and can cause opportunistic infectio...

Mucormycosis is an invasive fungal infection characterised by rapid filamentous growth, which leads to angioinvasion, thrombosis, and tissue necrosis. The high mortality rates (50-100%) associated with mucormycosis are reflective of not only the aggressive nature of the infection and the poor therapeutics currently employed, but also the failure of the human immune system to successfully clear ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to compare direct microscopic examination with culture and PCR for the diagnosis of Mucorales infection in blood and tissue specimens. MATERIAL AND METHODS Blood samples and tissue specimens were obtained from 28 patients (total 58 samples) with suspected invasive fungal infection and cultured on proper media. Direct smear of tissue samples ...

In immunosuppressed hosts, mucormycosis is a life-threatening infection with few treatment options. We studied the activity of colistin (polymyxin E) against Mucorales species in vitro and in a murine model of pulmonary Rhizopus oryzae infection. Colistin exhibited fungicidal activity in vitro against Mucorales spores and mycelia. At the colistin MIC, initial R. oryzae hyphal damage was followe...

BACKGROUND The aim of our study was to assess the detection of circulating DNA from the most common species of Mucorales for early diagnosis of mucormycosis in at-risk patients. METHODS We retrospectively evaluated a combination of 3 quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays using hydrolysis probes targeting Mucor/Rhizopus, Lichtheimia (formerly Absidia), and Rhizomucor for circula...

The majority of invasive mold infections diagnosed in immunocompromised cancer patients include invasive aspergillosis (IA) and mucormycosis. Despite timely and effective therapy, mortality remains considerable. Antifungal agents currently available for the management of these serious infections include triazoles, polyenes, and echinocandins. Until recently, posaconazole has been the only triaz...

INTRODUCTION During infection, Mucorales fungi invade major blood vessels, leading to extensive necrosis, and in cases of extensive pulmonary disease, bleeding into the lungs may occur. CASE PRESENTATION We report an unexpected event of post-bronchoscopy fatal endobronchial hemorrhage in a 62-year-old HIV-negative Italian woman with well controlled diabetes mellitus who presented with diffuse...