Acute rhinocerebral mucormycosis caused by Rhizopus arrhizus from Sri Lanka

Rhinocerebral mucormycosis is a rare fungus infection reported mainly from the United States of America and Europe. The disease is caused by zygomycete fungi, most often by a Rhizopus species. Diagnosis is often made post-mortem and in many instances culture identification of the fungus responsible has not been performed. A case of culturally proven rhinocerebral mucormycosis is described for the first time in Sri Lanka. The patient was a 56-year-old male who had been treated for diabetes mellitus for 17 years. He had typical symptoms of numbness and loss of sensations over the temporal region, followed by loss of vision and proptosis, all on the right side of his face. The diagnosis of rhinocerebral mucormycosis was confirmed by microscopic examination and culture of material obtained from the retro-orbital space. The patient died before effective antifungal therapy could be instituted.