Mucormycosis is a serious but rare fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes. These molds live throughout the environment particularly in soil and in association with decaying organic matter, such as leaves, compost piles, or rotten wood. Mucormycosis mainly affects people with weakened immune systems and can occur in nearly any part of the body. It most commonly affects the sinuses or the lungs after inhaling fungal spores from the air, or the skin after the fungus enters the skin through a cut, scrape, burn, or other type of skin trauma. Mucormycosis can affect nearly any part of the body and are classified as Rhinocerebral (sinus and brain) mucormycosis – an infection in the sinuses that can spread to the brain. This form of mucormycosis is most common in people with uncontrolled diabetes; Pulmonary (lung) mucormycosis is the most common type of mucormycosis in people with cancer and in people who have had an organ transplant or a stem cell transplant; Gastrointestinal mucormycosis can result from ingestion of the fungal spores. This type of mucormycosis is less common among adults and is more common among young children, especially infants less than 1 month of age; Cutaneous (skin) mucormycosis occurs after the fungi enter the body through a break in the skin (for example, after surgery, a burn, or other type of skin trauma). This is the most common form of mucormycosis among people who do not have weakened immune system and Disseminated mucormycosis occurs when the infection spreads through the bloodstream to affect another part of the body. The brain is the most commonly affected part of the body, but other organs such as the spleen, heart, and skin can also be affected. Your doctor will consider your medical history, symptoms, physical examinations, and laboratory tests when diagnosing mucormycosis. If he / she suspects that you have mucormycosis in your lungs or sinuses, he or she might collect a sample of fluid from your respiratory system to send to a laboratory and may also perform a tissue biopsy, in which a small sample of affected tissue is analyzed in a laboratory for evidence of mucormycosis under a microscope or in a fungal culture. You may also need imaging tests such as a CT scan of your lungs, sinuses, or other parts of your body depending on the location of the suspected infection. Mucormycosis can be treated with prescription of antifungal medication.
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