Pulmonary mucormycosis in a diabetic patient

We present the case of a 54 year-old male from Moldavia with diabetes mellitus (type II diabetic), admitted to hospital in January 1999, with ketoacidosis and consolidation of the lower left lobe. The diagnosis of mucormycosis was confirmed by identification of large, nonseptate hyphae of the order Mucorales. A strain of Rhizopus oryzae (Rhizopus arrhizus) was isolated from culture on sabouraud medium. The patient was treated by systemic amphotericin B, associated with surgical debridement (lobectomy). The treatment with amphotericin B was stopped after ten days and the patient was completely asymptomatic and returned to Moldavia. Mucormycoses are rare, and tend to be encountered in individuals with predisposing factors such as malignant blood disorders (immunocompromised patients) or diabetes mellitus. Prognosis is poor, resembling infection with Aspergillus, despite aggressive treatment as in the present case. The gravity of the condition can be accounted for by the thrombotic and necrosing nature of the fungal invasion of lung vessels.