Rhinosporidiosis reinfection after 20 years – A case report from United Arab Emirates

Case Report of Nasal Rhinosporidiosis in South Africa

“…Host distribution reflects freshwater habitats, the environment most commonly associated with disease acquisition. Rural riverine and agricultural communities have reported the highest incidence ( 3 ). Other risk factors associated with human infection include contact with stagnant and silted water (typically through swimming or bathing), dust and soil, and contaminated hands or clothes; low socioeconomic status is also considered a risk factor ( 3 ).…”

“…Rural riverine and agricultural communities have reported the highest incidence ( 3 ). Other risk factors associated with human infection include contact with stagnant and silted water (typically through swimming or bathing), dust and soil, and contaminated hands or clothes; low socioeconomic status is also considered a risk factor ( 3 ). Highest incidence is reported in male persons <40 years of age, presumably because of increased exposure as a result of the nature and extent of their outdoor activities ( 4 , 5 ).…”

“…Rhinosporidium grows slowly in host tissues, so infection and clinical manifestations may be temporally distant. Patients with nasal or nasopharyngeal lesions manifest intermittent epistaxis, nasal obstruction, nasal mass, or nasal discharge ( 3 , 4 ). Clinical differential diagnoses include neoplasms, nasopharyngeal carcinomas, inverted papillomas, primary sinonasal tuberculosis, and nasal angiofibromas ( 5 ).…”

“…Refractory cases may occur because of incomplete excision, infection of the traumatized surgical sites by released endospores, or reinfection from an endospore reservoir (e.g., lymph) in disseminated cases ( 4 , 5 ). Recurrence, dissemination to adjacent anatomic sites, and local secondary bacterial infections are the most frequent complications ( 3 ). Although rhinosporidiosis is rarely fatal, diagnosis and treatment can be lifesaving when nasal infections seed to the tracheobronchial tree ( 6 ).…”