Infectious Optic Neuropathies
Vivek Lal in A Clinical Approach to Neuro-Ophthalmic Disorders, 2023
Mucormycosis is caused by a group of fungi called mucormycetes. The fungus genera that most frequent affects the human host includes Mucor, Rhizopus, Absidia and Cunninghamella.57 This opportunistic fungal infection is mainly seen in uncontrolled diabetic and immunocompromised subjects. Mucormycosis presents as rhino-orbital-cerebral disease. The common clinical features are headache, fever, facial pain and swelling, orbital swelling and proptosis, restricted eye movements and vision loss secondary to optic nerve involvement. Mucormycosis causes infarction or necrosis of the optic nerve.58,59 Direct invasion of the optic nerve may also occur. Treatment of mucormycosis involves prolonged administration of amphotericin B. Extensive surgical debridement of involved sinuses and orbit are required in many cases57 (Box 8.3).
Mucorales
Rossana de Aguiar Cordeiro in Pocket Guide to Mycological Diagnosis, 2019
Mucormycosis is a rare infection caused by fungi of the Mucorales order, mainly affecting immunocompromised patients, with scarce reports in healthy individuals (Schwartze et al., 2014; Vaezi et al., 2016). The most common agents of mucormycosis are those of the genera Rhizopus, Lichtheimia, and Mucor, with Rhizopus species being the most prevalent opportunistic pathogens (Vaezi et al., 2016), whereas species of Rhizomucor, Saksenaea, Cunninghamella, Apophysomyces, and Syncephalastrum are less common agents (Bouza et al., 2006; Petrikkos et al., 2012). The incidence of mucormycosis is approximately 1.7 cases per 1,000,000 inhabitants per year, and the major risk factors are uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, hematological malignancy, use of corticosteroids, burns or other trauma, and organ transplant (Cunha et al., 2011; Ibrahim et al., 2003; Song et al., 2017; Spellberg et al., 2005; Sugar, 2005).
Mucormycosis
Srijan Goswami, Chiranjeeb Dey in COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2, 2022
Mucormycosis is an angioinvasive, non-contagious but serious life-threatening disease known to be caused by a group of fungi called mucormycetes. The word “mucormycosis” is derived from two Latin words Mucor and mycosis. The word Mucor (Latin) refers to mold and mycosis (Latin) refers to “the presence of fungi as parasites in the body”. The mucormycetes group of fungi can be found everywhere in the environment especially on surfaces with dead and decaying organic matter. Encounters with these fungi groups are completely unavoidable but they are not harmful to the majority of the human population. However, in individuals with immunosuppressive conditions, inhalation of the spores from the fungi may cause pulmonary infection and inflammation of nasal sinuses or may even spread to different locations of the body, thus causing a serious pathological state (WHO, 2021; CDC, 2021). Mucormycosis may be caused by several types of fungi belonging to the order Mucorales. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Rhizopus and Mucor are the two most common species of fungus that are known to cause mucormycosis, the other possible names include Rhizomucor species, Cunninghamella bertholletiae, Apophysomyces, Lichtheimia, and Saksenaea (WHO, 2021; CDC, 2021).
Fatal renal mucormycosis with Apophysomyces elegans in an apparently healthy male
Published in The Aging Male, 2020
Sameera Rashid, Fatma Ben Abid, Shafiq Babu, Martin Christner, Abdulqadir Alobaidly, Abdulla Ali Asad Al Ansari, Mohammed Akhtar
Mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes. These molds are ubiquitous in the environment and mainly affect people with weakened immune systems. For instance, in the United States the annual incidence of mucormycosis has been estimated around 1.7 infections per million populations; approximately 500 cases per year [1]. The most common predisposing factors for mucormycosis are HIV/AIDS, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, cancers, chronic kidney disease, malnutrition, organ transplant, long term corticosteroid, and immunosuppressive therapy [2]. However, there have been cases of mucormycosis reported in healthy individuals with no apparent predisposing factors. Apophysomyces elegans is a subspecies of zygomycetes mostly reported in immunocompetent patients with skin trauma [2,3]. We report a case of a healthy Indian male who developed an invasive mucormycosis of the left kidney and died with disseminated fungal infection.
Maxillary mucormycosis and concurrent osteomyelitis in a post-COVID-19 patient with new onset diabetes mellitus
Published in Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 2023
Pallak Arora, Geetpriya Kaur, Nutan Tyagi, Madhu K. Nair
Mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection caused by a group of fungi called Mucoromycetes that decompose organic matter found in soil and dust.4 The infection is extremely rare in healthy individuals, but numerous medical conditions such as immunosuppression, diabetic ketoacidosis, corticosteroid therapy, iron overload or hemochromatosis, deferoxamine therapy, voriconazole prophylaxis for transplant recipients, severe burns, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and intravenous drug abuse are known risk factors.1,5 Contamination from the use of industrial oxygen, low-quality oxygen cylinders, low-quality oxygen piping system, and ordinary tap water in ventilators are also considered risk factors.4 The predisposing factor in the present case could be corticosteroid therapy or the supplemental oxygen used in the treatment of pneumonia following COVID-19 infection. Pathological changes in the pancreas have been observed in patients with severe COVID-19, indicating that SARS-CoV-2 can impair pancreatic insulin secretion. This could be one of the reasons why COVID-19 patients who do not have a history of diabetes have higher blood glucose levels, as observed in this patient who was recently diagnosed with diabetes.
Developments in identifying and managing mucormycosis in hematologic cancer patients
Published in Expert Review of Hematology, 2020
Livio Pagano, Giulia Dragonetti, Elena De Carolis, Giuseppe Veltri, Maria Ilaria Del Principe, Alessandro Busca
Mucormycosis is a fungal infection characterized by an important morbidity and mortality [5]. In recent decades, with a growing population of immunocompromised hosts and improved diagnostic tools, the incidence of mucormycosis has been increasing. However, a difference in the prevalence of risk factors/underlying disease and causative agents of mucormycosis have been reported between developed and developing countries. In developed countries, the disease is uncommon, and HMs and transplantations are the major risk factors. On the contrary in the southern countries of the Asian continent, mucormycosis is increased, mainly in subjects with uncontrolled diabetes (DM) or trauma [5,6]. Mucormycosis is caused by fungi belonging to the order of Mucorales [7]. The most frequently reported pathogens in mucormycosis are Rhizopus spp., Mucor spp., and Lichtheimia spp (formerly of the genera Absidia and Mycocladus), followed by Rhizomucor, Saksenaea, Cunninghamella, and Apophysomyces [5]. These pathogens are distributed differently in different countries. For example, in Europe, the main pathogens that cause mucormycosis are Rhizopus spp. (34%), Mucor spp. (19%), and Lichtheimia spp. (19%) [5]. The main route of infection in HMs seems to be by airways, occasionally by gastrointestinal tract or traumatic inoculation [7].
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