We present the results of a prospective multicenter study of risk factors, etiology, clinical features, and treatment outcomes for mucormycosis in patients with COVID-19 (COVID-M) in the Russian Federation.The study included 60 adult patients with COVID-M. To analyze risk factors for COVID-M, we conducted a case-control study. The control group included 60 adult patients with COVID-19 without mucormycosis. To analyze the clinical manifestations of COVID-M, we created a control group of hematological patients with mucormycosis examined in 2011–2020.In patients with COVID-19, the risk of developing mucormycosis was significantly increased with diabetes mellitus (OR=49) and overweight (OR=4,75), as well as with the use of high (≥100 mg per day for prednisolone) doses of glucocorticosteroids (OR= 4,762), especially ≥10 days (OR=25,4). The main localization of mucormycosis in patients with COVID-19 was the paranasal sinuses (95%) and the orbit (68%). Involvement of ≥2 organs was identified in 70% of patients. The main causative agents of mucormycosis were Rhizopus arrhizus (43%) and unidentified mucormycetes (36%).90-days overall survival of patients with mucormycosis and COVID-19 – 71%. The stay in the ICU (p=0,01), the use of mechanical ventilation (p=0,0481), the presence of CVC (p=0,049), CNS damage (p=0,016) and ≥ 2 organs (p=0,048) significantly worsened the prognosis of the disease. The best prognosis was in patients who received antifungal therapy (p=0,03875) and surgical treatment (p=0,046).
Objective.
To study risk factors, etiology, clinical signs and treatment outcomes of invasive aspergillosis (IA) and mucormycosis combination (IAM) in children.
Materials and Methods.
A retrospective review of Saint-Petersburg register (1998–2021) of patients with IA was done and children with IAM were included. EORTC/MSGERG 2019 criteria were used for diagnosing and treatment results evaluation of invasive mycosis. We presented a clinical case of IAM in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia relapse.
Results.
A total of 12 children with IAM were included. They accounted 8% of all pediatric patients with invasive aspergillosis (n = 152). IAM was diagnosed in children with hematological malignancies and solid tumors from 4 to 16 years (median age – 11.5 years), mostly in girls (83%). Main risk factors of IAM were prolonged lymphopenia (75%, median 22 days) and neutropenia (67%, median 30 days) due to chemotherapy, systemic corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressive therapy, as well as HSCT. The predominant etiological agents of IA were Aspergillus niger (33%), A. nidulans (33%) and A. fumigatus (17%), of mucormycosis – Lichtheimia corymbifera (50%) and Rhizomucor spp. (50%). Based on EORTC/MSGERG 2019 criteria, «proven» mucormycosis was diagnosed in 83% of patients, «probable» – in 17%. «Probable» IA was found in 100% of patients. The most common clinical sites of IAM were the lungs (75%) and paranasal sinuses (43%), multifocal involvement was revealed in 33% of patients. Mucormycosis developed during antifungal therapy of IA in 83% of patients. Antifungal therapy of mucormycosis received 75% of patients (amphotericin B lipid complex – 89%, posaconazole – 78%, caspofungin – 33%), combined antifungal therapy – 33%, surgery – 50%; combination of surgical and antifungal treatment was used in 42% of patients. The overall 12-week survival was 77.8%. The use of combined surgical and antifungal treatment significantly improved the survival of children with IAM (p = 0.023).
Conclusions.
Mucormycosis was diagnosed in 8% of children with IA. IAM developed mostly in patients with hematological malignancies (83%), prolonged lymphopenia (75%) and neutropenia (67%) against the background of chemotherapy, systemic corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressive therapy, as well as HSCT. In 83% of patients mucormycosis was diagnosed during antifungal therapy for IA. The development of IAM increased overall 12-week mortality (50%). The combination of antifungal therapy with surgical treatment significantly improved prognosis of IAM (p = 0.023).
Mucormycosis is one of the most aggressive invasive mycoses. The mortality rate of patients with mucormycosis, depending on clinical form and background disease, varies from 30% to 100%. This article provides the first description of mucormycosis in Russia after infection caused by SARS-CoV-2, as well as a review of literature reports on mucormycosis in patients with COVID-19 (as of September 2021).
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