Mucormycosis in a Patient with Acute Myeloid Leukemia Successfully Treated with Liposomal Amphotericin B Associated with Deferasirox and Hyperbaric Oxygen

Current Treatment Options for COVID-19 Associated Mucormycosis: Present Status and Future Perspectives

Mucormycosis has become increasingly associated with COVID-19, leading to the use of the term “COVID-19 associated mucormycosis (CAM)”. Treatment of CAM is challenging due to factors such as resistance to many antifungals and underlying co-morbidities. India is particularly at risk for this disease due to the large number of patients with COVID-19 carrying comorbidities that predispose them to the development of mucormycosis. Additionally, mucormycosis treatment is complicated due to the atypical symptoms and delayed presentation after the resolution of COVID-19. Since this disease is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, early identification and diagnosis are desirable to initiate a suitable combination of therapies and control the disease. At present, the first-line treatment involves Amphotericin B and surgical debridement. To overcome limitations associated with surgery (invasive, multiple procedures required) and amphotericin B (toxicity, extended duration and limited clinical success), additional therapies can be utilized as adjuncts or alternatives to reduce treatment duration and improve prognosis. This review discusses the challenges associated with treating CAM and the critical aspects for controlling this invasive fungal infection—early diagnosis and initiation of therapy, reversal of risk factors, and adoption of a multipronged treatment strategy. It also details the various therapeutic options (in vitro, in vivo and human case reports) that have been used for the treatment of CAM.

Consensus guidelines for the diagnosis and management of invasive fungal disease due to moulds other than Aspergillus in the haematology/oncology setting, 2021

Invasive fungal disease (IFD) due to moulds other than Aspergillus is a significant cause of mortality in patients with malignancies or post haemopoietic stem cell transplantation. The current guidelines focus on the diagnosis and management of the common non-Aspergillus moulds (NAM), such as Mucorales, Scedosporium species (spp.), Lomentospora prolificans and Fusarium spp. Rare but emerging NAM including Paecilomyces variotii, Purpureocillium lilacinum and Scopulariopsis spp. are also reviewed. Culture and histological examination of tissue biopsy specimens remain the mainstay of diagnosis, but molecular methods are increasingly being used. As NAM frequently disseminate, blood cultures and skin examination with biopsy of any suspicious lesions are critically important. Treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach with surgical debridement as a central component. Other management strategies include control of the underlying disease/predisposing factors, augmentation of the host response and the reduction of immunosuppression. Carefully selected antifungal therapy, guided by susceptibility testing, is critical to cure. We also outline novel antifungal agents still in clinical trial which offer substantial potential for improved outcomes in the future. Paediatric recommendations follow those of adults. Ongoing epidemiological research, improvement in diagnostics and the development of new antifungal agents will continue to improve the poor outcomes that have been traditionally associated with IFD due to NAM.

Mucormycosis medications: a patent review

INTRODUCTION

Mucormycosis is an uncommon but life-threatening infection with nonspecific clinical manifestations that make its diagnosis/treatment difficult. The current literature indicates that mucormycosis case incidences are on the rise in developing and developed countries, and, unfortunately, there are only a few treatments available. Accordingly, it is essential to provide more treatment options for mucormycosis.

AREA COVERED

This patent review focuses on the granted patents and patent applications related to medication for mucormycosis treatment from the publication year of the amphotericin-B patent application (1958) till 30 January 2021.

EXPERT OPINION

Mucormycosis has few available treatments, including amphotericin-B, isavuconazonium sulfate, posaconazole, or their combination. A few anti-mucormycosis medicines are under clinical development. The exact burden of mucormycosis is unknown, but it is expected to be higher than the reported cases because of mucormycosis epidemiological changes. This patent review has shown that scientists are progressing toward developing a new treatment for mucormycosis in the form of new chemical compounds, new drug combinations, and dosage forms, vaccines, plant products, drug repurposing, and derivatives of the biomolecules. This progress is encouraging to fight this devastating illness.

Human Fungal Pathogens of Mucorales and Entomophthorales

In recent years, we have seen an increase in the number of immunocompromised cohorts as a result of infections and/or medical conditions, which has resulted in an increased incidence of fungal infections. Although rare, the incidence of infections caused by fungi belonging to basal fungal lineages is also continuously increasing. Basal fungal lineages diverged at an early point during the evolution of the fungal lineage, in which, in a simplified four-phylum fungal kingdom, Zygomycota and Chytridiomycota belong to the basal fungi, distinguishing them from Ascomycota and Basidiomycota. Currently there are no known human infections caused by fungi in Chytridiomycota; only Zygomycotan fungi are known to infect humans. Hence, infections caused by zygomycetes have been called zygomycosis, and the term "zygomycosis" is often used as a synonym for "mucormycosis." In the four-phylum fungal kingdom system, Zygomycota is classified mainly based on morphology, including the ability to form coenocytic (aseptated) hyphae and zygospores (sexual spores). In the Zygomycota, there are 10 known orders, two of which, the Mucorales and Entomophthorales, contain species that can infect humans, and the infection has historically been known as zygomycosis. However, recent multilocus sequence typing analyses (the fungal tree of life [AFTOL] project) revealed that the Zygomycota forms not a monophyletic clade but instead a polyphyletic clade, whereas Ascomycota and Basidiomycota are monophyletic. Thus, the term "zygomycosis" needed to be further specified, resulting in the terms "mucormycosis" and "entomophthoramycosis." This review covers these two different types of fungal infections.

Host-iron assimilation: pathogenesis and novel therapies of mucormycosis

Mucormycosis is a fungal infection caused by organisms belonging to the order Mucorales. Although considered uncommon, mucormycosis has been steadily increasing in incidents for the last two decades. Mortality of the disease is unacceptably high despite antifungal therapy and surgical interventions. The lack of understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease and the absence of rapid diagnostic assay contribute to the poor prognosis of mucormycosis. The hyper susceptibility of patients with elevated available serum iron points to the critical role of the ability of Mucorales to acquire host iron as a critical virulence factor. Specifically patients with deferoxamine-therapy, hyperglycaemic with or without ketoacidosis, or other forms of acidosis are uniquely predisposed to mucormycosis. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms of infection in these patient categories in an attempt to identify novel therapies for a disease with poor prognosis. Emphasis on the effect of glucose and free iron on host-pathogen interactions are also covered.