ABSTRACT
Mucormycosis or zygomycosis is a rare opportunistic infection caused by aerobic saprophytic fungus that belongs to the class of Zygomycetes Mucorales family. These organisms live in the environment and enter the body by air, gastrointestinal or skin routes, through solutions of continuity of the skin. This microorganism is generally not pathogenic for immunocompetent hosts, being the development of the disease linked with the immune status of the subject. Its mortality is around 50-60%; sometimes in spite of early diagnosis and treatment initiation it has a fatal course. Six clinical forms of mucormycosis are described: rhinocerebral, cutaneous, pulmonary, disseminated, gastrointestinal and miscellaneous form. Two cases of patients with primary cutaneous mucormycosis diagnosed in the Pathology Unit of Hernan Henriquez Aravena Hospital of Temuco, Chile are presented here.
Subject(s)
Dermatomycoses/diagnosis , Mucormycosis/diagnosis , Adult , Amphotericin B/therapeutic use , Antifungal Agents/therapeutic use , Dermatomycoses/drug therapy , Dermatomycoses/pathology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Mucormycosis/drug therapy , Mucormycosis/pathology , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
Mucormycosis or zygomycosis is a rare opportunistic infection caused by aerobic saprophytic fungus that belongs to the class of Zygomycetes Mucorales family. These organisms live in the environment and enter the body by air, gastrointestinal or skin routes, through solutions of continuity of the skin. This microorganism is generally not pathogenic for immunocompetent hosts, being the development of the disease linked with the immune status of the subject. Its mortality is around 50-60 percent; sometimes in spite of early diagnosis and treatment initiation it has a fatal course. Six clinical forms of mucormycosis are described: rhinocerebral, cutaneous, pulmonary, disseminated, gastrointestinal and miscellaneous form. Two cases of patients with primary cutaneous mucormycosis diagnosed in the Pathology Unit of Hernan Henriquez Aravena Hospital of Temuco, Chile are presented here.
La mucormicosis o zigomicosis es una infección oportunista poco frecuente, causada por un hongo sapró-fito aeróbico que pertenece a la clase Zygomycetes de la familia Mucorales. Estos microorganismos viven en el ambiente y penetran en el organismo por vía aérea, gastrointestinal o cutánea a través de soluciones de continuidad de la piel. Este agente generalmente no es patógeno para el hospedero inmunocompetente estando relacionado el desarrollo de la enfermedad con el estado inmune del sujeto. Su mortalidad es cercana a 50-60 por ciento; en ocasiones, a pesar del precoz diagnóstico e instauración del tratamiento, tiene un curso fatal. Se describen seis formas clínicas de mucormicosis: rinocerebral, cutánea, pulmonar, diseminada, gastrointestinal y una forma miscelánea. Se presentan dos casos de pacientes con mu-cormicosis cutánea primaria diagnosticados en la Unidad de Anatomía Patológica del Hospital Hernán Henríquez Aravena de Temuco.
