title: A mucormycosis case treated with a combination of caspofungin and amphotericin B.
abstract: Mucormycosis is a rare, invasive and fatal disease that occurs mainly in diabetes mellitus patients with uncontrolled blood glucose levels or in immunocompromised patients. The mortality rate of this disease is as high as 25 to 80%, despite aggressive surgical treatment and antifungal therapy. This high mortality requires alternative treatment approaches. The accepted treatment modality of invasive mucormycosis are amphotericin B lipid formulations. Although echinocandins generally show no activity against Mucorales, it was shown that Rhizopus oryzae expressed the target enzyme for echinocandins, 1,3-beta-glucan synthase. Additionally, there are some experimental studies in a diabetic mouse model and case reports regarding the effects of caspofungin. In this report, we present a rhinocerebral mucormycosis case treated with liposomal amphotericin B and caspofungin. There was regression of the patient's clinical and radiological condition with the addition of caspofungin, but she died due to discontinuation of her treatment and reasons other than mucormycosis.
authors.affiliation: Uludag University Faculty of Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Department, Görükle, Bursa, Turkey.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kazak
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aslan
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akalın
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Saraydaroğlu
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hakyemez
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Erişen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yazıcı
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gürcüoğlu
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yılmaz
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ener
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Helvacı
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000077336:Caspofungin; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D054714:Echinocandins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D055666:Lipopeptides; D009091:Mucormycosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D054714:Echinocandins; D055666:Lipopeptides; C068538:liposomal amphotericin B; D000666:Amphotericin B; D000077336:Caspofungin
keywords: Amphotericin B; Amphotéricine B; Caspofungin; Caspofungine; Mucormycose; Mucormycosis