Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 1, 2026
03:22
Author Spotlight: Advancing Pathogen Detection and Disease Assessment in Real-Time Using M-ROSE
Published on: March 1, 2024
1.3K
Mucormycosis: what emergency physicians need to know?
1Department of Emergency Medicine, San Antonio Military Medical Center, Houston, TX 78234.
The American Journal of Emergency Medicine
|October 11, 2015
Summary
Mucormycosis is a rare but deadly fungal infection, primarily impacting immunocompromised and diabetic individuals. Early emergency department diagnosis and treatment with antifungals and surgery are crucial for improving the poor prognosis.
Area of Science:
- Medical Mycology
- Infectious Diseases
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection often seen in immunocompromised patients.
- It presents in various forms with a high mortality rate.
- Prompt diagnosis and treatment in the emergency department are essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the diverse presentations and forms of mucormycosis.
- To outline diagnostic strategies and treatment options.
- To emphasize the importance of early recognition and management.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of mucormycosis cases and management.
- Analysis of risk factors, clinical presentations, and diagnostic modalities.
- Evaluation of treatment outcomes and prognostic indicators.
Main Results:
- Fungi causing mucormycosis are ubiquitous and angioinvasive, leading to necrosis.
- Risk factors include immunocompromised status and diabetes mellitus.
- Common forms include rhino-orbital-cerebral, pulmonary, and disseminated disease.
Conclusions:
- Physicians must maintain a high index of suspicion for mucormycosis in at-risk patients.
- Treatment involves antifungal therapy (e.g., amphotericin B) and surgical debridement.
- The prognosis for mucormycosis remains poor despite aggressive management.
More Related Videos
12:29Live Imaging of Antifungal Activity by Human Primary Neutrophils and Monocytes in Response to A. fumigatus
Published on: April 19, 2017
10.8K
06:43Studying Microbial Communities In Vivo: A Model of Host-mediated Interaction Between Candida Albicans and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa in the Airways
Published on: January 13, 2016
9.5K
Related Concept Videos
01:29Fungal Group Zygomycota
2.1K
Zygomycota, previously classified as a distinct fungal group, are primarily terrestrial, saprophytic molds that play a crucial role as decomposers. Recent phylogenetic studies have revealed that these fungi are now divided into two major clades — Mucoromycota, which includes many symbiotic species, and Zoopagomycota, which primarily consists of parasitic and pathogenic fungi. These groups exhibit distinct ecological roles and reproductive strategies while sharing key structural and...
2.1K
01:27Peptic Ulcer
30
Peptic ulcers are erosive lesions of the gastric or duodenal lining, most commonly caused by Helicobacter pylori infection. This Gram-negative, helical bacterium has adapted to survive the stomach’s acidic environment by producing urease, which converts urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide. The ammonia neutralizes gastric acid in the bacterium’s immediate environment, allowing colonization of the gastric mucosa. H. pylori attaches to mucus-secreting epithelial cells, penetrates the...
30
01:15Antifungal Agents
45
Amphotericin B is a broad-spectrum antifungal agent that exploits structural differences between fungal and mammalian cell membranes. Its amphipathic structure—featuring a hydrophobic polyene-lactone ring and a hydrophilic region containing mycosamine and carboxylic acid groups—enables selective binding to ergosterol, a sterol predominantly found in fungal plasma membranes. This selective interaction underlies the drug’s antifungal activity, although weak binding to...
45
01:30Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation V: Advanced Airway Management Techniques
814
Airway management is essential in emergency and surgical medicine, ensuring ventilation and oxygenation in patients who cannot maintain their own airway. Clinicians use a range of techniques and devices to secure the airway, depending on the patient’s condition and the clinical context. Key methods include endotracheal intubation, rapid sequence intubation (RSI), supraglottic airway devices, and advanced visualization aids. In cases where these approaches fail, surgical airway...
814
01:30Acute Respiratory Failure-III
1.1K
Hypercapnic respiratory failure, also known as Type 2 or ventilatory respiratory failure, is a severe condition characterized by the body's inability to effectively remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the bloodstream. It leads to an arterial CO2 pressure (PaCO2) exceeding 45 mmHg and a blood pH above 7.35. This situation indicates that the body's ventilatory demand, or the ventilation needed to maintain normal PaCO2 levels, surpasses its supply or the maximum gas flow achievable without...
1.1K
01:28Fungal Phylum Microsporidia
716
Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular fungi that were initially classified as protists but were later reclassified based on phylogenetic, molecular, and structural evidence linking them to the Chytridiomycota. These unicellular, non-motile organisms are highly specialized parasites that infect a wide range of animal hosts, including humans. They have evolved extensive genomic and metabolic reductions, making them highly dependent on their hosts for survival.Morphology and Genomic...
716