Abstract

MUCORMYCOSIS: TYPES, SYMPTOMS, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

Shirode Nitesh G.*, Pawar Ashish Y. and Ahire Pavan V.

Abstract

Mucormycosis is a life-threatening infection that occurs in patients who are immunocompromised because of diabetic ketoacidosis, neutropenia, organ transplantation, and increased serum levels of available iron. Because of the increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus, cancer, and organ transplantation, the number of patients at risk for this deadly infection is increasing. Despite aggressive therapy, which includes disfiguring surgical debridement and frequently adjunctive toxic antifungal therapy, the overall mortality rate is high. New strategies to prevent and treat mucormycosis are urgently needed. Understanding the pathogenesis of mucormycosis and the host response to invading hyphae ultimately will provide targets for novel therapeutic effect. During the past two decades, mucormycosis has emerged as an important fungal infection with high associated mortality rates. Zygomycoses are uncommon, frequently fatal diseases caused by fungi of the class zygomycetes (consisting of the orders mucorales and entomophthorales) with distinct patterns of clinical infection. The majority of human cases are caused by mucorales fungi; therefore, the terms mucormycosis and zygomycosis are used interchangeably (the term phycomycosis is also used). The mucorales species most often recovered from clinical specimens are those of the genera rhizopus (the most common genus associated with mucormycosis), lichtheimia (formerly known as absidia and mycocladus), and mucor. Species of other zygomycetes genera.

Keywords: Mucormycosis, Zygomycosis, Licitheimia, Absidia, Mycocladus.