Cutaneous mucormycosis. 2013

Anna Skiada, and George Petrikkos
1st Department of Propedeutic Medicine, Athens University, Laikon General Hospital, M. Asias 75, Goudi 11527, Athens, Greece. askiada@otenet.gr

Mucormycosis is an invasive fungal infection caused by fungi of the order Mucorales, mainly affecting immunocompromised patients. Cutaneous mucormycosis is the third most common clinical form of the disease, after pulmonary and rhino-cerebral. The usual factors predisposing to this infection are hematological malignancies and diabetes mellitus, but a significant proportion of patients are immunocompetent. The agents of mucormycosis are ubiquitous in nature and are transmitted to the skin by direct inoculation, as a result of various types of trauma. These include needle sticks, stings and bites by animals, motor vehicle accidents, natural disasters, and burn injuries. The typical presentation of mucormycosis is the necrotic eschar, but it can present with various other signs. The infection can be locally invasive and penetrate into the adjacent fat, muscle, fascia, and bone, or become disseminated. Diagnosis is difficult because of the nonspecific findings of mucormycosis. Biopsy and culture should be performed. The treatment of mucormycosis is multimodal and consists of surgical debridement, use of antifungal drugs (amphotericin B and posaconazole), and reversal of underlying risk factors, when possible. Mortality rates, although lower than in other forms of the disease, are significant, ranging from 4% to 10% when the infection is localized.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009091 Mucormycosis Infection in humans and animals caused by any fungus in the order MUCORALES (e.g., RHIZOPUS; MUCOR; CUNNINGHAMELLA; APOPHYSOMYCES; ABSIDIA; SAKSENAEA and RHIZOMUCOR) There are many clinical types associated with infection including central nervous system, lung, gastrointestinal tract, skin, orbit and paranasal sinuses. In humans, it usually occurs as an OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTION. Mucorales Infection,Mucorales Infections,Mucormycoses,Infection, Mucorales,Mucormycose
D003646 Debridement The removal of foreign material and devitalized or contaminated tissue from or adjacent to a traumatic or infected lesion until surrounding healthy tissue is exposed. (Dorland, 27th ed) Debridements
D003881 Dermatomycoses Superficial infections of the skin or its appendages by any of various fungi. Skin Diseases, Fungal,Dermatomycosis,Dermatophyte Infection,Fungal Skin Diseases
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000935 Antifungal Agents Substances that destroy fungi by suppressing their ability to grow or reproduce. They differ from FUNGICIDES, INDUSTRIAL because they defend against fungi present in human or animal tissues. Anti-Fungal Agents,Antifungal Agent,Fungicides, Therapeutic,Antibiotics, Antifungal,Therapeutic Fungicides,Agent, Antifungal,Anti Fungal Agents,Antifungal Antibiotics
D012307 Risk Factors An aspect of personal behavior or lifestyle, environmental exposure, inborn or inherited characteristic, which, based on epidemiological evidence, is known to be associated with a health-related condition considered important to prevent. Health Correlates,Risk Factor Scores,Risk Scores,Social Risk Factors,Population at Risk,Populations at Risk,Correlates, Health,Factor, Risk,Factor, Social Risk,Factors, Social Risk,Risk Factor,Risk Factor Score,Risk Factor, Social,Risk Factors, Social,Risk Score,Score, Risk,Score, Risk Factor,Social Risk Factor

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