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Clinical Microbiology Reviews Oct 2018The pathogenic entomophthoralean fungi cause infection in insects and mammalian hosts. and species can be found in soil and insect, reptile, and amphibian droppings in... (Review)
Review
The pathogenic entomophthoralean fungi cause infection in insects and mammalian hosts. and species can be found in soil and insect, reptile, and amphibian droppings in tropical and subtropical areas. The life cycles of these fungi occur in these environments where infecting sticky conidia are developed. The infection is acquired by insect bite or contact with contaminated environments through open skin. typically causes chronic rhinofacial disease in immunocompetent hosts, whereas some species can be found in immunocompromised patients. infection is restricted to subcutaneous tissues but may be involved in intestinal and disseminated infections. Its early diagnosis remains challenging due to clinical similarities to other intestinal diseases. Infected tissues characteristically display eosinophilic granulomas with the Splendore-Höeppli phenomenon. However, in immunocompromised patients, the above-mentioned inflammatory reaction is absent. Laboratory diagnosis includes wet mount, culture serological assays, and molecular methodologies. The management of entomophthoralean fungi relies on traditional antifungal therapies, such as potassium iodide (KI), amphotericin B, itraconazole, and ketoconazole, and surgery. These species are intrinsically resistant to some antifungals, prompting physicians to experiment with combinations of therapies. Research is needed to investigate the immunology of entomophthoralean fungi in infected hosts. The absence of an animal model and lack of funding severely limit research on these fungi.
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Entomophthorales; Humans; Zygomycosis
PubMed: 30158298
DOI: 10.1128/CMR.00014-18 -
Current Opinion in Microbiology Dec 2017Mucormycosis is a fungal infection with fulminant angioinvasion leading to high morbidity and mortality in susceptible individuals. The major predisposing conditions are... (Review)
Review
Mucormycosis is a fungal infection with fulminant angioinvasion leading to high morbidity and mortality in susceptible individuals. The major predisposing conditions are uncontrolled diabetes, neutropenia, malignancies, receipt of a transplant and traumatic injury [1]. Over the past decade, mucormycosis has become an emerging fungal infection due to the increase in patient groups presenting with these pre-disposing conditions and our medical advances in diagnosing the infection [2-4]. Yet, we currently lack clinical interventions to treat mucormycosis effectively. This in turn is due to a lack of understanding of mucormycosis pathogenesis. Here, we discuss our current understanding of selected aspects of interactions at the mucormycete-host interface. We will highlight open questions that might guide future research directions for investigations into the pathogenesis of mucormycosis and potential innovative therapeutic approaches.
Topics: Animals; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Mucorales; Mucormycosis
PubMed: 29107938
DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2017.10.010 -
The New England Journal of Medicine Mar 2018
Topics: Antifungal Agents; Biopsy; Conidiobolus; Delayed Diagnosis; Humans; Male; Young Adult; Zygomycosis
PubMed: 29490172
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMicm1709956 -
Jornal Brasileiro de Pneumologia :... 2010Zygomycosis (mucormycosis) is a rare but highly invasive infection caused by fungi belonging to the order Mucorales, which includes the genera Rhizopus, Mucor,... (Review)
Review
Zygomycosis (mucormycosis) is a rare but highly invasive infection caused by fungi belonging to the order Mucorales, which includes the genera Rhizopus, Mucor, Rhizomucor, Absidia, Apophysomyces, Saksenaea, Cunninghamella, Cokeromyces and Syncephalastrum. This type of infection is usually associated with hematologic diseases, diabetic ketoacidosis and organ transplantation. The most common form of presentation is rhinocerebral mucormycosis, with or without pulmonary involvement. Pulmonary zygomycosis is more common in patients with profound, prolonged neutropenia and can present as segmental or lobar infiltrates, isolated nodules, cavitary lesions, hemorrhage or infarction. The clinical and radiological manifestations are often indistinguishable from those associated with invasive aspergillosis. This article describes the general characteristics of pulmonary zygomycosis, emphasizing laboratory diagnosis, and illustrates the morphology of some lesions.
Topics: Diagnosis, Differential; Diagnostic Techniques, Respiratory System; Humans; Lung Diseases, Fungal; Pulmonary Aspergillosis; Zygomycosis
PubMed: 20209316
DOI: 10.1590/s1806-37132010000100018 -
Medical Mycology Journal 2011
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Indian Journal of Pharmacology 2021
Topics: Animals; COVID-19; Humans; Iron; Iron Chelating Agents; Mucormycosis; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 34414902
DOI: 10.4103/ijp.ijp_604_21 -
The British Journal of Ophthalmology Aug 1969
Topics: Adult; Amphotericin B; Blepharoptosis; Blindness; Contact Lenses; Diabetes Complications; Eye Diseases; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Mucormycosis
PubMed: 5811223
DOI: 10.1136/bjo.53.8.542 -
Environmental Research Oct 2021The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) still remains on an upsurge trend. The second wave of this disease has led to panic in many countries, including... (Review)
Review
The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) still remains on an upsurge trend. The second wave of this disease has led to panic in many countries, including India and some parts of the world suffering from the third wave. As there are no proper treatment options or remedies available for this deadly infection, supportive care equipment's such as oxygen cylinders, ventilators and heavy use of steroids play a vital role in the management of COVID-19. In the midst of this pandemic, the COVID-19 patients are acquiring secondary infections such as mucormycosis also known as black fungus disease. Mucormycosis is a serious, but rare opportunistic fungal infection that spreads rapidly, and hence prompt diagnosis and treatment are necessary to avoid high rate of mortality and morbidity rates. Mucormycosis is caused by the inhalation of its filamentous (hyphal form) fungi especially in the patients who are immunosuppressed. Recent studies have documented alarming number of COVID-19 patients with mucormycosis infection. Most of these patients had diabetes and were administered steroids for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and were consequently more prone to mucormycosis. Hence, the present review emphasizes mucormycosis and its related conditions, its mechanism in normal and COVID-19 affected individuals, influencing factors and challenges to overcome this black mold infection. Early identification and further investigation of this fungus will significantly reduce the severity of the disease and mortality rate in COVID-19 affected patients.
Topics: COVID-19; Humans; Mucormycosis; Pandemics; Risk Assessment; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 34237335
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111643 -
Environmental Science and Pollution... Oct 2022The emergence of various diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic made health workers more attentive, and one of the new pathogens is the black fungus (mucormycosis). As a... (Review)
Review
The emergence of various diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic made health workers more attentive, and one of the new pathogens is the black fungus (mucormycosis). As a result, millions of lives have already been lost. As a result of the mutation, the virus is constantly changing its traits, including the rate of disease transmission, virulence, pathogenesis, and clinical signs. A recent analysis revealed that some COVID-19 patients were also coinfected with a fungal disease called mucormycosis (black fungus). India has already categorized the COVID-19 patient black fungus outbreak as an epidemic. Only a few reports are observed in other countries. The immune system is weakened by COVID-19 medication, rendering it more prone to illnesses like black fungus (mucormycosis). COVID-19, which is caused by a B.1.617 strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has been circulating in India since April 2021. Mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection induced by exposure to a fungus called mucormycete. The most typically implicated genera are Mucor rhyzuprhizopusdia and Cunninghamella. Mucormycosis is also known as zygomycosis. The main causes of infection are soil, dumping sites, ancient building walls, and other sources of infection (reservoir words "mucormycosis" and "zygomycosis" are occasionally interchanged). Zygomycota, on the other hand, has been identified as polyphyletic and is not currently included in fungal classification systems; also, zygomycosis includes Entomophthorales, but mucormycosis does not. This current review will be focused on the etiology and virulence factors of COVID-19/mucormycosis coinfections in COVID-19-associated mucormycosis patients, as well as their prevalence, diagnosis, and treatment.
Topics: COVID-19; Humans; Mucor; Mucormycosis; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Soil; Virulence Factors
PubMed: 35986111
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-22204-8 -
Clinical Microbiology and Infection :... Oct 2009Invasive zygomycosis in neonates and children has both similarities to and differences from that in adults. We searched PubMed and individual references for... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Review
Invasive zygomycosis in neonates and children has both similarities to and differences from that in adults. We searched PubMed and individual references for English-language reports of single cases or case series of neonatal (<1 month) and paediatric (< or =18 years) zygomycosis and compared the results with published results in adults. Cases were included if they fulfilled pre-specified criteria. A total of 59 cases of neonatal zygomycosis were reported to July 2007; 157 paediatric cases were published up to 2004 and an additional 30 paediatric cases were reported more recently. Prematurity was a major underlying factor among neonatal cases. The most common manifestations of zygomycosis were gastrointestinal (54%) and cutaneous (36%). This pattern differs from the sinopulmonary and rhinocerebral patterns typical in older children and adults. Overall mortality was 64% in neonates, 56% in children and 53% in adults. A tendency for dissemination was higher in neonates than adults. Dissemination and young age (<1 year) were independent risk factors for death in children. Most patients who survived received antifungal therapy. Surgery combined with antifungal therapy was a protective factor against death. Most neonates and children who survived had received an amphotericin B formulation. Zygomycosis is a life-threatening infection in children and neonates with differing patterns of involvement in individuals of different ages. The most common management strategy in survivors involved a combination of amphotericin B and surgery.
Topics: Adolescent; Age Factors; Antifungal Agents; Child; Child, Preschool; Debridement; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Risk Factors; Zygomycosis
PubMed: 19754758
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2009.02981.x