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Mucormycosis in a Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patient Caused by Syncephalastrum racemosum: Case Report and Review of Literature

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Abstract

Mucormycosis is a rare opportunistic fungal infection caused by saprophytic zygomycetes. These fungal infections are caused by members of the mucorales. The clinical importance of zygomycosis, an emerging and frequently fatal mycotic disease, has increased during recent years, due to several risk factors such as (a) the use of broad-spectrum antibiotic, (b) use of empirical antifungal treatment (mainly triazoles), and (c) aggressive chemotherapy and sustained leucopenia (i.e., peripheral stem cell transplantation). An almost fulminant pneumonia caused by Syncephalastrum racemosum in an immunocompromised patient with an aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is described. Despite treatment with amphotericin B, deoxycholate, caspofungin, and surgical resection of fungal bodies from both lungs, and survival of 10 months without relapsing from fungal infection, the patient died due to hematological complications from an unresponsive disease. Herein is the description of the first case of pulmonary infection caused by Syncephalastrum racemosum.

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Conflict of interest

All authors declare to have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Servicio de Dermatología, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, 14080, Tlalpan, Mexico, Mexico

    Georgina Rodríguez-Gutiérrez & Sonia Toussaint

  2. Departamento de Biología Molecular e Histocompatibilidad, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, 14080, Tlalpan, Mexico, Mexico

    Erika M. Carrillo-Casas

  3. Sección de Micología, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, 14080, Tlalpan, Mexico, Mexico

    Roberto Arenas & Mónica E. Moreno-Morales

  4. Departamento de Posgrado y Educación Médica Continua, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, 14080, Tlalpan, Mexico, Mexico

    Jorge O. García-Méndez

  5. Programa PECEM, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Coyoacán, Mexico, Mexico

    Adrián A. Schcolnik-Cabrera

  6. Laboratorio de Bacteriología Intestinal, Departamento de Infectología, Hospital Infantil de México Dr. Federico Gómez, 06720, Cuauhtemoc, Mexico, Mexico

    Juan Xicohtencatl-Cortes

  7. Departamento de Ecología de Agentes Patógenos, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, 14080, Tlalpan, Mexico, Mexico

    Rigoberto Hernández-Castro

Authors
  1. Georgina Rodríguez-Gutiérrez
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  2. Erika M. Carrillo-Casas
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  3. Roberto Arenas
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  4. Jorge O. García-Méndez
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  5. Sonia Toussaint
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  6. Mónica E. Moreno-Morales
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  7. Adrián A. Schcolnik-Cabrera
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  8. Juan Xicohtencatl-Cortes
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  9. Rigoberto Hernández-Castro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rigoberto Hernández-Castro.

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Rodríguez-Gutiérrez, G., Carrillo-Casas, E.M., Arenas, R. et al. Mucormycosis in a Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patient Caused by Syncephalastrum racemosum: Case Report and Review of Literature. Mycopathologia 180, 89–93 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-015-9878-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-015-9878-1

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