Nosocomial Rhinocerebral Mucormycosis: Two Cases with a Temporal Relationship

Mucormycosis is an unusual fungal infection that usually affects immunosuppressed patients. Small outbreaks of mucormycosis have been previously reported. We present two clinical cases of fatal rhinocerebral mucormycosis with a close temporal relationship between them and a possible nosocomial transmission: case 1 was a 75-year-old male with diabetes and COPD, treated with antibiotics and systemic corticosteroids, who developed rhinocerebral mucormycosis. Case 2 was an 88-year-old woman who was treated with systemic antibiotics and corticosteroids and developed the same infection after insertion of a nasogastric tube. Both patients concurred at the same time in our hospital, and healthcare staff was common to both of them. These cases, along with previously reported cases, highlight that, although infrequent, transmission of the fungus in the hospital environment is a real possibility that should be taken into account in order to initiate contact and air isolation precautions that could avoid nosocomial transmission of this infection.