title: Cunninghamella echinulata causing fatally invasive fungal sinusitis.
abstract: We report a fatal case of invasive fungal sinusitis caused by Cunninghamella echinulata in a febrile, neutropenic 15-year-old male with relapsing acute leukemia. The isolate was recovered from a nasal biopsy from the right middle meatus, and microscopic examination of the tissue revealed angioinvasion and necrosis. Human infection caused by this organism has not been well documented; however, this report alerts us to its life-threatening potential.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Microbiology, Department of Pathology, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA. rleblan4@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: LeBlanc
authors.forename: Zina
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Meriden
authors.forename: Deanna A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Sutton
authors.forename: Elizabeth H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Dionissios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neofytos
authors.forename: Sean X
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D020093:Cunninghamella / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009091:Mucormycosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D012852:Sinusitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Angioinvasion; Cunninghamella; Cunninghamella echinulata; Febrile neutropenia; Filamentous fungi; Invasive fungal infection; Leukemia; Sinusitis; Zygomycetes