Disseminated mucormycosis with cerebellum involvement due to Rhizomucor�pusillus in a patient with multiple myeloma and secondary myelodysplastic syndrome: A case report

Abstract

Mucormycosis is an angioinvasive fungal infection with a high mortality rate. Patients with hematological malignancies following voriconazole therapy are at high risk from mucormycosis. Here, the present study reports on a 68-year-old man diagnosed with multiple myeloma and secondary myelodysplastic syndrome, who was infected with disseminated mucormycosis with cerebellum involvement confirmed by mycological culture and histopathological examination. For patients with hematological malignancies who are receiving antifungal therapy, an opportunistic infection of mucormycosis should be considered if a ‘breakthrough’ infection occurs in the predilection sites (such as the sinuses, lungs, skin, brain and gastrointestinal tract). It is difficult to diagnose mucormycosis because of the limited reliable detection methods, and because mucormycosis often presents with an acute onset and progresses rapidly, particularly in immunocompromised patients. Antifungal therapy with amphotericin B or posaconazole should be started as soon as possible considering the empirical diagnosis.

Multiple septic emboli and myocardial infarction due to vaso-invasive Rhizomucor pusillus infection in a hematologic patient

“…[2] Infection with Mucorales is characterized by rapidly progressive severe tissue destruction, necrosis and vaso-invasive growth with dissemination throughout the body and thrombosis. [1,[3][4][5] Cardiac zygomycosis Cardiac involvement in zygomycosis has been described in several case reports in immunocompromised patients and post cardiac surgery and is most often part of disseminated zygomycosis. [6][7][8][9] Most cases are diagnosed post-mortem, only few case reports of antemortem diagnosis are present in literature.…”

Hepatosplenic mucormycosis due to Rhizomucor pusillus identified by panfungal PCR/sequencing of ribosomal ITS2 and LSU regions in a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia: A case report

“…Angioinvasive Rhizomucor pusillus infection with dissemination to the liver and spleen is exceedingly uncommon representing less than 1% of reported cases of mucormycosis (4). To date, there have been <30 cases of the causative agent of mucormycosis due to R. pusillus reported, primarily in children (5)(6)(7)(8)(9). Mucormycosis is diagnosed by histologic examination and culture of clinical specimens (1,2).…”

Mucormycosis: modern diagnostics and treatment, existing problems and new trends in antifungal therapy

“…Мукормикоз вызывается грибами порядка Mucorales -сапрофитами, которые обнаруживаются в почве, компосте, испорченной пище, диких и комнатных растениях и являются патогенными в первую очередь для иммунокомпрометированных пациентов [4].…”