COVID-19-Associated Rhino-Orbital Mucormycosis: Histological and Electron Microscopy Characteristics.
Diagnostics (Basel)
; 14(4)2024 Feb 15.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38396469
ABSTRACT
COVID-19-associated rhino-orbital mucormycosis has become a new clinical entity. This study's aim was to evaluate the histopathological and ultramicroscopic morphological aspects of this fungal infection. This was an observational retrospective study on eight patients from three tertiary centers in Romania. The tissue samples collected during functional endoscopic sinus surgery were studied through histopathological examination, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. In the histopathological examination, the morphological aspects characteristic of mucormycosis in all cases were identified wide aseptate hyphae with right-angle ramifications, which invade blood vessels. One case presented perineural invasion into the perineural lymphatics. And in another case, mucormycosis-aspergillosis fungal coinfection was identified. Through scanning electron microscopy, long hyphae on the surface of the mucosa surrounded by cells belonging to the local immune system were identified in all samples, and bacterial biofilms were identified in half of the samples. Through transmission electron microscopy, aseptate hyphae and bacterial elements were identified in the majority of the samples. Rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis associated with COVID-19 produces nasal sinus dysbiosis, which favors the appearance of bacterial biofilms. The way in which the infection develops depends on the interaction of the fungi with cells of the immune system.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
Diagnostics (Basel)
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Rumanía
Country of publication:
Suiza