"Death due to cerebral angioinvasive mucormycosis: an autopsy diagnosis"

Mucormycosis is an aggressive opportunistic fungal infection that primarily affects immunocompromised individuals and is associated with high mortality when diagnosis and treatment are delayed. Although commonly reported in clinical settings, autopsy-based documentation remains important for understanding fatal, clinically unrecognised cases. We report a fatal case of angioinvasive cerebral mucormycosis identified during medico-legal autopsy in a middle-aged individual with underlying diabetes mellitus. The decedent had a recent history of facial trauma and clinical deterioration prior to death. Autopsy examination revealed significant pathological changes in multiple organs, with histopathological evaluation demonstrating broad, pauciseptate fungal hyphae with angioinvasion consistent with mucormycosis, most prominently involving cerebral vessels and parenchyma. Secondary bacterial infection was also identified in clinical investigations, suggesting a possible contributory role in fulminant progression. The findings highlight the aggressive vascular invasion characteristic of mucormycosis and the diagnostic challenges encountered in the clinical setting. This case emphasises the critical role of meticulous autopsy examination and histopathological analysis in identifying invasive fungal infections that may remain undiagnosed during life. Recognition of such infections in medico-legal investigations is essential for accurate determination of the cause of death and for improving awareness of rapidly progressive opportunistic infections.