Zygomycoses - urgency in diagnosis

Abstract

Introduction: Zygomycoses is an angioinvasive infection most commonly seen in immunocompromised and diabetic patients. We undertook this study to determine the prevalence of Zygomycoses, in patients with a suspected Invasive Zygomycoses Infection in a tertiary centre and to identify the most common species isolated from culture.

Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was done from January 1, 2012 to December 8, 2014; the clinical data of the suspected patients and the positive cultures were collected.

Results and Discussion: A total of 50 samples of 27 patients with suspected Zygomycoses were sent during the 3 year period. In 25 of these patients, the samples sent were tissue biopsies from nasal cavity and 2 wound swabs from burns. Of these, 18 tissue biopsies of 13 patients and two wound swabs were detected positive for Zygomycetes. (2-Absidia corymbifera; 1-Rhizopus, 15-Mucor). Of the remaining 12 patients whose cultures were negative, 1–bacterial 1–bacterial sinusitis, 5-Invasive aspergillosis; 6-treated as Invasive fungal infections due to Zygomycetes as the imaging diagnostics and histopathological features favored that diagnosis. The majority of the patients (80%) were diabetic, and the two from the burn unit were under long-term treatment for chronic wound infections. Multiple diagnostic modalities must be used in view of the aggressive nature of the disease, but microbiological diagnosis remains the Gold Standard.