Important aspects of oral paracoccidioidomycosis–a literature review

Abstract

Paracoccidioidomycosis is a deep mycosis endemic to Latin America, with considerable morbidity and mortality. It is caused by the dimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, which affects, among other organs in the human body, the oral cavity. Fungus virulence and immunocompetence of the host determine the establishment of infection or active disease, whose severity and clinical behaviour depend mostly on the cellular immune response of the host. Often, oral lesions constitute the first sign and site of confirmation of diagnosis, which in most cases is delayed. The success of the treatment depends on early and correct diagnosis, as well as on the patient's adherence to the drug therapy.

Oral Manifestations Associated to Paracoccidioidomicosis and Histoplasmosis

“…According to gender and age we observed that PCM oral manifestations were more frequent in male patients, with 89.65% cases and age range of 41 to 62 years (75.85%), as it has been observed in earlier studies [5][6][7]. PCM oral manifestations occur at almost all ages, with highest incidence in ages between 30 and 50 years in its chronic form (adult type), which is the most common in 90% of the cases, with classic signs and symptoms that include pulmonary and mucosal involvement [5,6].…”

“…In this study it was found 10.34% of prevalence; in contrast, some researchers do not report any case of HIV/AIDS coinfection [6]. Therefore, the dentist should always suspect immunosuppression in patients with PCM or histoplasmosis oral manifestations, due to the fact that these mycoses can be AIDS/HIV-defining illnesses [1,5,10,11,17,19].…”

“…PCM oral manifestations occur at almost all ages, with highest incidence in ages between 30 and 50 years in its chronic form (adult type), which is the most common in 90% of the cases, with classic signs and symptoms that include pulmonary and mucosal involvement [5,6].…”

“…Therefore, it is important to establish a casuistry and account of these diseases as differential diagnoses in endemic areas such as Venezuela [5][6][7].…”

“…The host's immunological condition, habits and epidemiological background are valuable keys to establish the diagnosis [1,[4][5][6].…”