Mucormycosis mimicking portal hypertensive haemorrhage as a complication of alcoholic liver cirrhosis: a case report.

Mucor is a rare cause of gastrointestinal ulcers. This case describes a case of mucormycosis that occurred in a patient with liver cirrhosis who was hospitalized to accept a splenectomy for traumatic splenic rupture. During the perioperative period, the patient developed upper gastrointestinal bleeding(UGIB), which was diagnosed as mucormycosis-related gastric ulcer according to gastroscopy. Patients with liver cirrhosis often get UGIB for Portal hypertension, but they also can develop UGIB for multiple other reasons, including infectious ulcers for immunosuppression. The case emphasizes the importance of excluding fungal-induced ulcer haemorrhage before diagnosing Portal hypertensive-induced variceal haemorrhage in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Bell's palsy: a case report of unusual presentation in a patient with rhino-orbital cerebral mucormycosis.

BACKGROUND: Mucormycosis is a fungal infection caused by the Mucorales order of fungi. This fungus is commonly found in soil and can cause disease in immunocompromised patients. On the other hand, Bell's palsy is an idiopathic condition that results in the sudden onset of unilateral facial muscle weakness, affecting the facial nerve. CASE PRESENTATION: A 51-year-old Persian housewife with a history of poorly controlled diabetes mellitus presented with a splitting headache that had been ongoing for 1 week and an inability to close her left eye or make facial expressions on the left side of her face. The patient's vital signs were normal, but physical examination revealed a yellow-grey scar on the left side of her hard palate and Bell's palsy on the left side. A neurological examination showed that she could move both eyes but could not close her left eye, move up her left eyebrow, or smile. Further investigations were performed, including laboratory tests, radiologic imaging, and functional endoscopic sinus surgery. The patient underwent three rounds of debridement for bony erosion in the medial and posterior walls of the left maxillary sinus and the hard palate. Pathological examination confirmed mucormycosis infection in the hard palate and mucosa. CONCLUSION: Fungal infection must be considered a potential diagnosis for immunocompromised adults who exhibit symptoms of Bell's palsy.

Mixed Aspergillosis and Mucormycosis Infections in Patients with COVID-19: Case Series and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Mucormycosis and aspergillosis are angioinvasive infections mainly occurring in immunocompromised patients. However, mixed infection with mucormycosis and aspergillosis in post-COVID-19 patients is rare. In this report, we will report four cases and comprehensively review the published literature on COVID-19 associated mixed infection of aspergillosis and mucormycosis. METHOD: Besides four of our cases, we searched for published articles using PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases from the beginning of 2020 until October 2023. RESULT: During the COVID-19 pandemic, we analyzed 52 cases (4 from our research and 48 from other studies). The most common underlying disease (59.6%) was diabetes mellitus. However, 19.2% of COVID-19 patients had no underlying condition. Interestingly, rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis featured prominently in India and Iran, while other countries primarily reported a higher prevalence of pulmonary cases. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this study highlights the presence of mixed aspergillosis and mucormycosis in COVID-19 patients who previously had common underlying diseases or even a healthy immune system. Therefore, managing COVID-19 patients should involve screening serum and respiratory samples using biomarkers to detect superinfections.

Angioinvasive gastrointestinal mucormycosis with duodenal necrosis and perforation in a patient with visceral myopathy.

A 55-year-old woman with a past medical history of visceral myopathy with multiple resultant abdominal surgeries, colectomy caused by severe pseudo-obstruction, and end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis presented with complaints of nausea, abdominal distention, vomiting, and diarrhea for five days. Small-bowel obstruction was identified on CT. She subsequently developed acute gastrointestinal bleeding, anemia, and hemodynamic instability. Extensive gastric ulceration with frank hemorrhage prompted urgent subtotal gastrectomy with multiple intraoperative findings, including a necrotic distal duodenum. Surgical pathology showed invasive fungal infection of the duodenum with perforation, morphologically compatible with invasive mucormycosis. The patient was started on intravenous liposomal amphotericin B, but despite best efforts, the patient ultimately succumbed to this invasive fungal infection in addition to sepsis and multi-organ failure.

Maxillary mucormycosis and aspergillosis in post-COVID-19 patients in Mexico: A case series.

BACKGROUND: Fungal infections, during or as a consequence of SARS-CoV-2 infection, associated with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and indiscriminate use of corticosteroids have been reported. In the jaw, mostly mucormycosis has been diagnosed in hospitals. METHODS: A retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive study of the clinical, imaging, and histopathologic characteristics of maxillary invasive fungal infection in post-COVID-19 patients diagnosed in a private non-hospital oral pathology service in Mexico during 2020-2022 was conducted. RESULTS: We found 20 cases of maxillary invasive fungal infections in post-COVID-19 patients, 75% including a diagnosis of mucormycosis and 25% diagnosed as probable aspergillosis. The most common signs and symptoms were exposed necrotic bone followed by tooth mobility, discharge, and pain. On imaging, unilateral maxillary sinus involvement was observed in 6 cases (30%), and bilateral maxillary sinus involvement was observed in 3 cases (15%). CONCLUSIONS: It is essential to consider the association of osteonecrosis of the jaw in post-COVID-19 patients, with aspergillosis, not only mucormycosis, for early diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

Mucormycosis-induced hypercalcemia: a case report.

Hypercalcemia is a vital laboratory marker because it can show underlying severe diseases like cancer and infections. Of all the causes of hypercalcemia, primary hyperparathyroidism, and malignancies are the most common, but granulomatous diseases, such as certain fungal infections, can also be the cause. Here we describe the case of a 29-year-old woman, an insulin-dependent diabetic, found unconscious and tachypneic at home. In the emergency room, the medical team diagnosed diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and acute kidney injury (AKI). During hospitalization, despite resolving acidemia, persistent hypercalcemia attracted attention. Laboratory tests showed decreased parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels, confirming non-PTH-dependent hypercalcemia. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest and abdomen demonstrated no alterations, but an upper digestive endoscopy revealed an ulcerated and infiltrative lesion in the stomach. A biopsy showed a granulomatous infiltrate due to mucormycosis infection. The patient received liposomal amphotericin B for 30 days and isavuconazonium for two months. Serum calcium levels improved during treatment. Inquiry of the etiology of hypercalcemia should begin with the PTH assay; high levels are consistent with hyperparathyroidism; low levels, with calcium or vitamin D intoxication, malignancies, prolonged immobilization, and granulomatous diseases. In the latter cases, the overproduction of 1-alpha-hydroxylase by the granulomatous tissue increases the conversion of 25(OH)vitamin D into 1-25(OH)vitamin D, which causes the intestinal absorption of calcium. We have described the first hypercalcemia related to mucormycosis infection in a young diabetic patient, although case presentations associate other fungal infections with elevated serum calcium.

Risk factors, mortality, and predictors of survival in COVID-19-associated pulmonary mucormycosis: a multicentre retrospective study from India.

OBJECTIVES: To compare COVID-19-associated pulmonary mucormycosis (CAPM) with COVID-19-associated rhino-orbital mucormycosis (CAROM), ascertain factors associated with CAPM among patients with COVID-19, and identify factors associated with 12-week mortality in CAPM. METHODS: We performed a retrospective multicentre cohort study. All study participants had COVID-19. We enrolled CAPM, CAROM, and COVID-19 subjects without mucormycosis (controls; age-matched). We collected information on demography, predisposing factors, and details of COVID-19 illness. Univariable analysis was used to compare CAPM and CAROM. We used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate factors associated with CAPM (with hypoxemia during COVID-19 as the primary exposure) and at 12-week mortality. RESULTS: We included 1724 cases (CAPM [n = 122], CAROM [n = 1602]) and 3911 controls. Male sex, renal transplantation, multimorbidity, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, intensive care admission, and cumulative glucocorticoid dose for COVID-19 were significantly higher in CAPM than in CAROM. On multivariable analysis, COVID-19-related hypoxemia (aOR, 2.384; 95% CI, 1.209-4.700), male sex, rural residence, diabetes mellitus, serum C-reactive protein, glucocorticoid, and zinc use during COVID-19 were independently associated with CAPM. CAPM reported a higher 12-week mortality than CAROM (56 of the 107 [52.3%] vs. 413 of the 1356 [30.5%]; p = 0.0001). Hypoxemia during COVID-19 (aOR [95% CI], 3.70 [1.34-10.25]) and Aspergillus co-infection (aOR [95% CI], 5.40 [1.23-23.64]) were independently associated with mortality in CAPM, whereas surgery was associated with better survival. DISCUSSION: CAPM is a distinct entity with a higher mortality than CAROM. Hypoxemia during COVID-19 illness is associated with CAPM. COVID-19 hypoxemia and Aspergillus co-infection were associated with higher mortality in CAPM.

Survival benefit of exenteration in COVID-19-associated rhino-orbital mucormycosis.

PURPOSE: There has been a sudden increase in the number of rhino-orbital mucormycosis cases, primarily affecting patients recovering from COVID-19 infection. The local health authorities have declared the current situation an epidemic. In this study, we assess the role of exenteration in preventing disease progression and improving survival in patients with rhino-orbital mucormycosis. METHODS: The patients undergoing exenteration were grouped into the exenteration arm and those denying exenteration were grouped into the nonexenteration arm. The patients were followed at 1 month and 3 months. The 6-month survival data were collected telephonically. Continuous data were presented as Mean ± SD/Median (IQR) depending on the normality distribution of data, whereas the frequency with percentages was used to present the categorical variables. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were created to estimate the difference in survival of patients with exenteration in rhino-orbital mucormycosis versus those without exenteration. RESULTS: A total of 14 patients were recruited for our study based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. All the patients were qualified for exenteration; however, only eight patients underwent exenteration and six patients did not consent to exenteration. At the end of 3 months in the exenteration group, four (50%) patients died. Two patients died within a week of exenteration, whereas two patients died after 2 weeks of exenteration. The deaths in the first week were attributed to septic shock and the deaths happening beyond 2 weeks were attributed to severe meningitis. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed the cumulative probability of being alive at 1 month in the exenteration arm to be 85%, and it decreased to 67% by 53 days and subsequently remained stable until the end of 3 months. CONCLUSION: The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis did not show a survival benefit of exenteration at 3 months and 6 months in COVID-associated rhino-orbital mucormycosis.

[Small intestinal mucormycosis associated with acute myeloid leukemia: a case report].

The patient was a man in his 70s. During the treatment for acute myeloid leukemia, abdominal pain and bloody stools appeared. A diagnosis of small intestinal ileus was made by computed tomography scan. Treatment with an ileus tube did not improve his condition, and enteroscopy revealed the presence of ileal ulcers. Based on histological examination, small intestinal mucormycosis was suspected, and thus, antifungal drugs were administered. However, the patient developed perforated peritonitis and underwent small intestine resection. He was finally diagnosed with small intestinal mucormycosis with the help of the resected specimen. The gastrointestinal form of mucormycosis rarely occurs, and small intestinal lesions are very rare. Enteroscopy was helpful in its diagnosis and treatment.

A fatal case of disseminated pulmonary and renal mucormycosis caused by Rhizopus microspores.

Rhinocerebral and pulmonary mucormycosis are the main manifestations of mucormycosis; however, disseminated pulmonary associated with renal mucormycosis is rarely reported. In this paper, we report a rare fatal case of disseminated pulmonary and renal mucormycosis caused by Rhizopus microsporus in a 50-year-old man with poorly controlled hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prolonged use of corticosteroids for the treatment of his reiterative gouty arthritis. In this patient, the use of corticosteroids and poorly controlled diabetes were considered underlying risk factor for his disseminated mucormycosis, along with acute renal dysfunction, suggesting the need for clinical suspicion of disseminated pulmonary and renal mucormycosis in hospitalized patients with poorly controlled diabetes and immunocompromised host.

[Invasive mucormycosis during COVID-19 infection. Report of two cases]. / Mucormicosis invasora en pacientes con COVID-19: reporte de 2 casos.

COVID-19 disease is associated with a significant number of opportunistic infections, including invasive fungal infections such as mucormycosis. The prevalence of the latter is rare, estimated to be between 0.005 and 1.7 per million inhabitants. Risk factors include hematological diseases, Diabetes Mellitus with poor metabolic control, solid organ transplantation, neutropenia, and prolonged administration of systemic corticosteroids. We report two males aged 60 and 75 years with pulmonary and tracheobronchial invasive mucormycosis, respectively. Both patients had a deficient metabolic control of their diabetes as a predisposing risk factor added to severe COVID-19 infection. High suspicion and early diagnosis are essential for prompt treatment, especially considering the associated high morbidity and mortality of this fungal infection.

Finegoldia magna and Mucorales molds co-infection in a severe case of SARS-CoV-2 disease.

INTRODUCTION: Rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis has been reported as a sequela after coronavirus disease in immunocompromised patients with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus. Most cases have been identified in India, with only 19 reported elsewhere. METHODOLOGY: We herein report the results of clinical, imaging, microbiological, and histopathological studies in an immunocompetent 67-year-old male with rhino-orbital infection by Finegoldia magna and Mucorales molds following severe SARS-CoV-2 disease associated with new-onset decompensated diabetes mellitus. RESULTS: Microbiological and histological studies confirmed the presence of both Mucorales molds and Finegoldia magna, which was successfully treated with antibiotics and a specific anti-fungal agent (Posaconazole). CONCLUSIONS: Careful multidisciplinary follow-up of patients treated for severe SARS-CoV-2 disease is necessary for the timely diagnosis of complications such as uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and opportunistic infections.