Mucormycosis, a threatening opportunistic mycotic infection.
Mucormycosis is a rare and invasive mycotic opportunistic infection, occurring mostly in predisposed patients, mainly diabetics and immunocompromised individuals. The evolution of this fungal infection is frequently fatal unless aggressive treatment is started, or predisposing factors are handled. Our first patient was a known diabetic who had ketoacidotic coma at admission, complicated with pulmonary mucormycosis, and needed surgical resection followed by antimycotic therapy. The second patient did not survive his severe aplastic anemia (with neutropenia) and hemochromatosis (treated with desferrioxamine), complicated with a systemic Rhizopus infection, despite treatment with amphotericin B and granulocyte-colony-stimulating factors.
Van Steenweghen
S
S
Inwendige Geneeskunde, Dienst Hematologie, K.U.Leuven.
Maertens
J
J
Boogaerts
M
M
Deneffe
G
G
Verbeken
E
E
Nackaerts
K
K
D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000209:etiology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000150:complications; D003881:Dermatomycoses / Q000175:diagnosis; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000150:complications; D003926:Diabetic Coma / Q000150:complications; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006229:Hand Dermatoses / Q000382:microbiology; D006432:Hemochromatosis / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D009091:Mucormycosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*