Skin nontumor
Infectious disorders
Zygomycosis
Author: Nat Pernick, M.D.
Last author update: 1 July 2011
Last staff update: 7 March 2024
Copyright: 2002-2024, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Fungi - Zygomycosis [title]
Table of Contents
Clinical features | Diagnosis | Treatment | Clinical images | Microscopic (histologic) description | Microscopic (histologic) images | Additional referencesCite this page: Pernick N. Zygomycosis. PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/skinnontumorfungizygomycosis.html. Accessed April 25th, 2024.
Clinical features
- Infections caused by fungi in class Zygomycetes, including Absidia, Mucor, Rhizomucor, Rhizopus, Apophysomyces elegans (rare human pathogen)
- Most zygomycosis occur in immunocompromised patients (due to leukemia, lymphoma, diabetes, transplantation), with rhinocerebral or pulmonary infection, then dissemination
- Other causes include iron overload, major trauma, chronic corticosteroids, intravenous drug use / injection abscess (Indian J Med Res 2010;131:765), neonatal prematurity, malnourishment
- A. elegans causes progressive necrosis of wound in previously healthy patients after trauma or invasive procedures (Arch Pathol Lab Med 1999;123:386)
Diagnosis
- PCR or culture
- A. elegans - grows as a rapidly growing mold with sporangiophores having dark brown, funnel shaped apophyses and pyriform sporangia
Treatment
- Treat underlying medical condition, reduce immunosuppression, correct metabolic abnormalities (Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis 2011;3:e2011012)
- Amphotericin B or newer drugs
- Surgical debridement
Clinical images
Images hosted on other servers:
Rhizomucor culture has
"cotton candy"-like texture,
grows rapidly, maturation
within 4 days
Rhizomucor culture demonstrates sparsely septate broad hyphae, irregularly branched sporangiophores, brown round sporangia, rhizoids located on stolons between sporangiophores
Microscopic (histologic) description
- Extensive coagulative necrosis due to fungi with broad, sparsely septate, thin-walled hyphae
- Angioinvasion with thrombosis
Microscopic (histologic) images
Images hosted on other servers:
Aseptate hyphae
Additional references
