Survival from sino-orbital mucormycosis due to Rhizopus rhizopodiformis

We report the first case of sino-orbital mucormycosis caused by Rhizopus rhizopodiformis. Therapy consisted of conservative surgical drainage and intravenous amphotericin B. The patient, an insulin-dependent diabetic, survived her infection with minimal residual deformity. This case and a literature review suggest that infection due to R. rhizopodiformis in diabetics might be more amenable to treatment than mucormycosis caused by other species of fungi. Speciation of such fungi would permit the determination of species specific mortality rates, and may be of therapeutic and prognostic value.