title: Successful treatment of mucor infection after liver or pancreas-kidney transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mucormycosis is a rare and opportunistic infection usually associated with hematologic diseases, diabetes mellitus, renal failure, solid tumors, and organ transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present five cases of mucor infection after transplantation (three after a series of 750 orthotopic liver transplantation and two after a series of 13 simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation in patients with type 1 diabetes) subjected to medical and surgical treatment and analyze the factors related to the development of this infection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The clinical forms were two cutaneous (laparotomy wound or prior surgical drain site), two rhino-maxillary, and one pulmonary. As risk factors for mucormycosis all patients had pre- or posttransplantation diabetes, and showed at least one episode of acute rejection that required aggressive immunosuppression (2-7 g of methylprednisolone; also three patients were treated with antithymocyte globulin [ATG] monoclonal antibody [orthoclone and/or OKT3]). We also found renal failure, acidosis, malnutrition, and Candida and cytomegalovirus infections as factors related to mucor infection. Diagnosis of fungal infection was confirmed by exudate or fluid culture in three cases and by biopsy in two. All patients were treated with liposomal amphotericin B (from 3.5 to 5.6 g of total dose) and resection until the surgical margins were free of infection. All patients survived after this severe infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  With an early diagnosis of mucormycosis by clinical findings, culture, or tissue biopsy, and aggressive treatment consisting of administration of liposomal amphotericin B and surgical resection of all infected tissue, excellent results are achieved.
authors.affiliation: Department of General and Digestive Surgery and Abdominal Organ Transplantation, Hospital Universitario Doce de Octubre, 28041-Madrid, Spain. emorenog@hdoc.insalud.es
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jiménez
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lumbreras
authors.forename: José María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Aguado
authors.forename: Carmelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Loinaz
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paseiro
authors.forename: Amado
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andrés
authors.forename: José María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.forename: Gregorio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: García
authors.forename: Amalia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: del Palacio
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moreno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009091:Mucormycosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D016035:Pancreas Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*