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Mucormycosis is a rare fungal disease commonly affecting individuals with diabetes mellitus, hematological malignancy, and immune deficiency. Isolated pulmonary mucormycosis is extremely rare. This article reports a case of isolated pulmonary mucormycosis that presented as a solitary cavity infiltrate in a patient with no underlying risk factors.
Mucormycosis, an uncommon opportunistic fungal infection, usually occurs in immunocompromised patients. It is rapidly progressive and almost always fatal. Patients with lymphoma are susceptible to pulmonary or disseminated mucormycosis, whereas rhinocerebral mucormycosis in such patients, as far as we know, is rarely reported. We present a patient with malignant lymphoma who exhibited such an acute rhinocerebral infection after chemotherapy which manifested initially as a stuffy nose and intractable headache. Then ptosis, proptosis, chemosis and multiple cranial nerve palsies appeared. Eschar was found in the nasal cavity. Direct KOH smear and tissue biopsy revealed mucormycotic infection. He survived because of early diagnosis and prompt treatment.
OBJECTIVE: To report a case of isolated renal mucormycosis in a previously healthy man, and to briefly review the literature relating to this rare condition. CLINICAL FEATURES: An 18-year-old man presented with a two-month history of fevers followed by two weeks of severe left loin pain. Initial treatment with antibiotics failed and abdominal computed tomography and renal perfusion scans were requested, demonstrating a non-functioning left kidney. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: Nephrectomy was performed, the histology of which was consistent with mucormycosis. Amphotericin B was administered for one month. The patient made a complete recovery and no underlying disorder was found. CONCLUSIONS: This man is believed to be the first reported Australian with isolated renal mucormycosis, and only the second person worldwide in whom an identifiable underlying disorder was absent.
A case of isolated localized hepatic mucormycosis in an immunocompetent 3 1/2-yr-old girl with concomitant acute toxoplasmosis is described. Mucormycosis is rare in immunocompetent patients, and hepatic mucormycosis has so far been described only in the context of disseminated disease. The infection resolved spontaneously without surgical debridement and/or appropriate medical therapy with amphotericen B.
We report four cases of mucormycosis that occurred among 711 patients who underwent BMT for thalassemia, and review 18 additional cases among BMT recipients that were reported in the English-language literature. All these patients were polytransfused and were in advanced phase of disease with severe acquired hemochromatosis. The sites of infection were sinonasal, rhinocerebral-pulmonary, pulmonary and pulmonary-central nervous system. Mucormycosis was the primary cause of death in three of four patients. Two infections were detected within the first 100 days after BMT. Only one of the four patients had partial resolution of sinonasal mucormycosis following aggressive antifungal therapy combined with hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
A 54 year old man complained exertional dyspnea and palpitation since November 1989. As he was diagnosed with marked anemia, leukocytosis and thrombocytopenia by his work place doctor, he was admitted to our hospital. Acute myelogenous leukemia was diagnosed based on laboratory findings. BHAC-DMP, BHAC-MEP and A triple V therapies were only partially effective. Fine nodular shadows in all lung fields and a semicircular mass in the right lower lobe next to the thoracic vertebra were evident on the chest X-P since the end of March 1990. He was treated with antibiotics and amphotericin B but the abnormal lung shadows did not disappear. He had sudden onset of paraplegia and loss of all sensation below Th6 on May 1. Aparavertebral mass in the right lower lobe was detected by CT and MRI, for which radiotherapy was performed but without improvement. He died of respiratory failure on May 12. Autopsy showed that the semicircular paravertebral mass continued to the main pulmonary vein and epidural area of the thoracic cord (Th6-8). Microscopically, mucormycosis was found. Necrosis due to mucor embolism was found in the thoracic cord. It is usually difficult to diagnose mucormycosis in immunocompromised patients while they are alive. It is important to suspect mucormycosis if any infarction symptoms or infections resistant to antibiotics develop in immunocompromised patients.
We describe a case of chronic pulmonary mucormycosis. The patient was a 44-year-old man with diabetes mellitus and alcoholic liver cirrhosis. He had been treated for pulmonary tuberculosis three years earlier and thin-walled cavities remained in the left upper lobe. He presented with coughing, sputum, and fever, and a chest radiograph and CT scan showed increased consolidation around the preexisting cavities in the left lung, along with a small round opacity in the right upper lobe. Transbronchial lung biopsy of the left upper lobe revealed pulmonary mucormycosis with necrosis. Treatment with amphotericin B for two months was not completely successful, particularly with regard to the lesion on the left, so surgery was done. A left upper lobectomy and a left S6 segmentectomy were successful, and the lesion in the right lung resolved after chemotherapy. Pathological examination showed that the resected lung had granulomas, infiltration of inflammatory cells, areas of necrosis, and a druse of Mucor in an abscess. We view this as a case of chronic necrotizing pulmonary mucormycosis.
Mucormycosis is becoming recognized as a serious complication in patients undergoing hemopoietic transplantation (HT), because it is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. In our institution 4 cases of mucormycosis in post-HT period among 345 patients undergoing HT were diagnosed between 1984 and 1997. We studies the clinical characteristics of these cases and we conclude that mucormycosis is not a common infection in patients undergoing HT but that it is followed by a high morbidity and mortality. Maintained neutropenia is the most important risk factor.
A fatal case of cerebral mucormycosis occurring shortly after liver transplantation is described. The patient was a 32-yr-old male with advanced end-stage liver disease manifested by tense ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, deepening jaundice and anuria requiring hemodialysis. The 3rd day after successful liver transplantation the patient developed acute respiratory failure, then focal motor signs. Computed tomography showed fluid in the left maxillary sinus, partial opacification of the ethmoid and sphenoid sinuses, and diffuse low density lesions in both cerebral hemispheres. Despite treatment for cerebritis and cerebral edema, the patient's pupils became fixed and dilated, and brain death was declared. Autopsy revealed mucor sinusitis and cerebritis. Mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal infection occurring in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis, malignancy, or immunodeficiency, and in those receiving wide-spectrum antibiotics, corticosteroids, or cytotoxic therapy. Mucor most frequently involves the face, rhinocerebral disease predominating. These infections are difficult to treat, but are curable with aggressive and frequent surgical debridement, discontinuation or reduction of immunosuppressive therapy and amphotericin. The diagnosis of mucormycosis is very difficult to make in cases such as the present one, in which the typical presentation and classical signs are not present. A high index of suspicion based on identified risk factors may assist in more rapid diagnosis of this life-threatening mycosis.
Mucormycosis is an uncommon infection caused by fungi of the class Zygomycetes, suborder Mucorales. It occurs predominantly in the immunodeficient host, the most common risk factor being diabetes mellitus. Pulmonary mucormycosis is a disease that is localized in the lungs or mediastinum. It usually presents in a fulminant manner, although a chronic presentation can also occur. We describe two cases of pulmonary mucormycosis in patients with diabetes mellitus, one with an acute and the other with a chronic presentation. A high level of clinical suspicion, combined surgical and medical therapy, and control of patient's underlying immunosuppression are the key to a successful outcome.
A case of mucormycosis causing palatal necrosis and orbital apex syndrome is reported successfully treated with systemic antifungal therapy, surgical debridement and control of underlying disease process. After one year of follow-up patient is blind with anatomically preserved right eye and ptosis as well as having palatal obturator. Mucormycosis should be considered in differential diagnosis of palatal necrosis and orbital apex syndrome.
The diagnosis of rhinocerebral mucormycosis is most often made at autopsy. We report a series of nine patients in whom the diagnosis was established premortem. Six of the patients had underlying diabetes mellitus and three had acute leukemia. Facial or ocular pain was the complaint found in all patients, and frequently was the initial symptom. The diagnosis was established by examination and culture of infected tissue obtained by biopsy. In seven patients, identification of hyphal elements in smears of biopsy material allowed the immediate institution of amphotericin B therapy. Four of the seven patients treated with amphotericin B survived. All surviving patients had underlying diabetes mellitus and had undergone surgical debridement. Early diagnosis leading to immediate institution of appropriate therapy is most important for survival of patients with mucormycosis.
A 36-year-old obese woman with hyperglycemia and immunosuppression died of bilateral internal carotid artery occlusion associated with mucormycosis. This report describes a rare case in which cerebral mucormycosis occurred without the usual preceding clinical evidence of nasal and orbital infection.
Mucormycosis is a fulminant fungal infection occurring in debilitated patients with an underlying pathologic condition. The rhinocerebral form of the disease, which comprises nearly one half of recently reported cases, is most often found in uncontrolled diabetics or profoundly dehydrated children. Infection usually begins in the nose and progresses through the paranasal sinuses, invading the orbit and CNS secondarily. Despite the known pathogenesis of this disease, the ophthalmologist is often first to consider the diagnosis, due to inadequate intranasal examination by the primary physician. The delay caused by late occurrence of orbital manifestations has resulted in poor survival rates, despite vigorous therapy. In recent years, increased physician awareness has led to earlier diagnosis of rhinocerebral mucormycosis. This report presents 13 cases with which we have delt since 1963. The long-term survival rate is 85%. Aggressive surgical therapy, with repeated debridement, in combination with intravenous amphotericin B, have led to this high rate of cure.
Rhinocerebral mucormycosis is a devastating fungal disease with a high mortality rate. Extensive surgical débridement and amphotericin B are currently the mainstays of therapy. When cerebral extension of the fungus occurs, the disease is almost invariably fatal. Two patients with rhinocerebral mucormycosis had progression of their infection to brain abscesses despite aggressive débridement surgery and amphotericin B therapy. Both patients showed marked clinical improvement with the addition of adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Both patients remained free of their disease 21 months after hospital discharge.
Mucormycosis in two patients with multiple-organ failure appeared as a cutaneous lesion and spread rapidly. In the first case, wet mounts and potassium hydroxide preparations were unhelpful, but a punch biopsy specimen established the diagnosis. Prompt and extensive debridement and amphotericin B administration arrested the infection. In the second case, virulent progression of the lesion occurred despite limited amputation, debridement, transfer factor, and amphotericin B, but finally responded to further amputation. Diagnosis was made by histologic examination of infected tissue. Both patients shared the following predisposing factors: sepsis, low blood flow, acidosis, multiple-organ failure, and multiple-antibiotic therapy. Although the mucormycosis was controlled, as confirmed in the first case at autopsy and in the second case by clear margins following reamputation, the outcome was fatal in both cases due to other features of multiple-organ failure.
We report an acute myelogenous leukemia patient with mucormycosis who died of massive hemoptysis during antifungal therapy. The diagnosis was made postmortem and autopsy revealed that the pulmonary nodule consisting of mucorales protruded over the luminal surface of the aorta. Microscopic examination showed the invasion of mucor hyphae into the wall of the aortic arch. Surgical treatment may be indicated for patients with pulmonary mucormycosis refractory to amphotericin B therapy.
An unusual radiographic sign of crescentic cavitation appeared in a case of invasive pulmonary mucormycosis complicating the treatment of a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia and having a normal admission chest radiograph. The first manifestation was a large, wedge-shaped pleural-based consolidation, which evolved about 10 days later into a fungus ball-like lesion, usually known as the air crescent sign. Amphotericin B and 5-fluorocytosine, which were initiated immediately after appearance of the sign, proved to be effective, probably in association with hematologic improvement. Transbronchial lung biopsy was not only helpful in establishing a definitive diagnosis, but also suggested that an intracavitary mass could have resulted from pulmonary infarction. This experience thus showed that the sign may appear in greater frequency in mucormycosis as well as in aspergillosis, and may be useful as a clinical index for initiating antifungal therapy in immunocompromised patients.