[Non-fatal disseminated mucormycosis in a solid organ transplant]

Area of Science:

• Mycology
• Infectious Diseases
• Transplantation Medicine

Background:

• Mucormycosis is a rare, life-threatening fungal infection caused by Mucorales, primarily affecting immunocompromised individuals.
• Early diagnosis of disseminated mucormycosis is challenging, impacting patient prognosis.
• Standard treatment involves antifungal therapy with lipid amphotericin B and surgical debridement, yet mortality remains high.

Observation:

• A case of disseminated mucormycosis caused by Absidia corymbifera is presented in a 25-year-old female 9 months post-pulmonary transplantation.
• The patient presented with pulmonary and thyroid involvement.
• Successful management involved extensive surgical debridement and early antifungal bitherapy.

Findings:

• The patient survived due to a combination of surgical intervention and early antifungal bitherapy.
• Liposomal amphotericin B combined with posaconazole demonstrated efficacy in treating disseminated mucormycosis.

Implications:

• The re-emergence of mucormycosis in solid organ transplant recipients necessitates novel therapeutic strategies.
• Combination therapy with posaconazole and liposomal amphotericin B presents a potentially improved treatment option for disseminated mucormycosis.
• Optimizing treatment outcomes for mucormycosis in transplant patients requires further investigation into new therapeutic approaches.