Fungus infections associated with antibiotic and steroid therapy

Zygomycetes in Human Disease

“…By the 1980s, chemotherapy represented the underlying condition associated with 13% of the cases reported (455). The widespread use of steroids had also resulted in an increased incidence of zygomycosis in this population of patients chronically or acutely treated with this class of drugs (166,438,463). The mechanism by which the corticosteroids enhance susceptibility to developing zygomycosis is probably twofold.…”

“…The use of broad-spectrum antibiotics has also been associated with an increased risk of developing zygomycosis. Presumably, elimination of the normal flora by antibiotic use allows the fungi to establish an infection in the absence of bacterial competition (166,291,463). For patients in whom myelosuppressive therapies have been administered and neutropenia and fever have persisted for longer than 7 to 10 days despite antibiotic therapy, a diagnosis of a fungal infection, including zygomycosis, should be suspected (60).…”

“…Thirteen patients were receiving broad-spectrum antibiotics. Although the administration of antibiotics may be considered a risk factor for zygomycosis (463), several of these patients received the drugs well into the disease process. The use of the antibiotics in this situation may not have been a risk factor for acquiring the initial infection but may have played a role in promoting fungal growth in a preexisting infection.…”

“…Even with the poor showing with culture results, it soon became obvious that Rhizopus spp., and not Mucor spp., were the predominant organisms causing disease (286,321). Other important information was also being collected by astute clinicians and researchers regarding the association of zygomycosis with cancer (28,209,297), antibiotic or prednisone use (463), diabetes (181,260), deferoxamine and desferrioxamine therapy (48), transplantation (308), and the associated forms of immunosuppressive therapies. With the development of diagnostic tools that allowed earlier diagnosis, with better surgical and antifungal interventions, and with more sophisticated laboratory methods for identifying these agents, more patients are surviving these previously fatal infections.…”

Meningoencefalitis Zigomicótica Piogranulomatosa en un Puercoespín de Cola Pren sil (Coendou Prehensilis)

“…fueron los organismos predominantes que causaban la enfermedad (Ribes et al). Otra información importante también ha sido colectada por clíni-cos e investigadores quienes asocian la ZM con cáncer (Baker, 1962), el uso antibióticos o de prednisona (Torack, 1957), y formas asociadas a terapias inmunosupresivas (Ribes et al).…”