Cunninghamella bertholletiae infection associated with deferoxamine therapy

Cunninghamella bertholletiae, an uncommon cause of human infection, has been reported with increasing frequency in recent years. C. bertholletiae belongs to the order Mucorales and produces infections similar to those produced by the other agents of mucormycosis. Infections with this group of organisms have typically been seen either in patients with diabetes mellitus or in those receiving chemotherapy. Recent reports of mucormycosis in dialysis patients receiving deferoxamine for iron or aluminum overload have raised the possibility that deferoxamine therapy is a risk factor for mucormycosis. A case of C. bertholletiae infection in a patient receiving deferoxamine for iron overload unrelated to hemodialysis was investigated in detail, and possible explanations for this patient's infection were assessed.