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Kaur H, Kanaujia R, Nayak G, Ramavat AS, Patro S, Ghosh A, Chakrabarti A, Rudramurthy SM. An interesting report of COVID-19 associated mucormycosis (CAM) cases by two different species of Mucorales. Indian J Med Microbiol 2024; 50:100656. [PMID: 38925278 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmmb.2024.100656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 05/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
During surge of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAM), we identified five cases of CAM where two different species of Mucorales were isolated. All had history of diabetes mellitus and presented with clinical features suggesting rhino-orbital mucormycosis. The patients grew different species from their nasal scraping/biopsy samples, Rhizopus arrhizus, R. homothallicus (n = 2); R. homothallicus, Lictheimia corymbifera (n = 1); R. arrhizus, Mucor spp (n = 1); and L. corymbifera, Apophysomyces variabilis (n = 1). All patients underwent surgical and medical (liposomal amphotericin B) treatment. All, except one growing A. variabilis and L. corymbifera survived. Mixed infection by more than one Mucorales in CAM is unique and warrants epidemiological investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harsimran Kaur
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
| | - Rimjhim Kanaujia
- Punjab Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, Mohali, Punjab, India.
| | - Gyanaranjan Nayak
- Department of Otolaryngology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
| | - Anurag Snehi Ramavat
- Department of Otolaryngology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
| | - Sourabha Patro
- Department of Otolaryngology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
| | - Anup Ghosh
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
| | | | - Shivaprakash M Rudramurthy
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
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Lax C, Nicolás FE, Navarro E, Garre V. Molecular mechanisms that govern infection and antifungal resistance in Mucorales. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2024; 88:e0018822. [PMID: 38445820 PMCID: PMC10966947 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00188-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
SUMMARYThe World Health Organization has established a fungal priority pathogens list that includes species critical or highly important to human health. Among them is the order Mucorales, a fungal group comprising at least 39 species responsible for the life-threatening infection known as mucormycosis. Despite the continuous rise in cases and the poor prognosis due to innate resistance to most antifungal drugs used in the clinic, Mucorales has received limited attention, partly because of the difficulties in performing genetic manipulations. The COVID-19 pandemic has further escalated cases, with some patients experiencing the COVID-19-associated mucormycosis, highlighting the urgent need to increase knowledge about these fungi. This review addresses significant challenges in treating the disease, including delayed and poor diagnosis, the lack of accurate global incidence estimation, and the limited treatment options. Furthermore, it focuses on the most recent discoveries regarding the mechanisms and genes involved in the development of the disease, antifungal resistance, and the host defense response. Substantial advancements have been made in identifying key fungal genes responsible for invasion and tissue damage, host receptors exploited by the fungus to invade tissues, and mechanisms of antifungal resistance. This knowledge is expected to pave the way for the development of new antifungals to combat mucormycosis. In addition, we anticipate significant progress in characterizing Mucorales biology, particularly the mechanisms involved in pathogenesis and antifungal resistance, with the possibilities offered by CRISPR-Cas9 technology for genetic manipulation of the previously intractable Mucorales species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Lax
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Francisco E. Nicolás
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Eusebio Navarro
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Victoriano Garre
- Departamento de Genética y Microbiología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
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3
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Muthu V, Agarwal R, Rudramurthy SM, Thangaraju D, Shevkani MR, Patel AK, Shastri PS, Tayade A, Bhandari S, Gella V, Savio J, Madan S, Hallur V, Maturu VN, Srinivasan A, Sethuraman N, Singh Sibia RP, Pujari S, Mehta R, Singhal T, Saxena P, Gupta V, Nagvekar V, Prayag P, Patel D, Xess I, Savaj P, Sehgal IS, Panda N, Rajagopal GD, Parwani RS, Patel K, Deshmukh A, Vyas A, Gandra RR, Sistla SK, Padaki PA, Ramar D, Sarkar S, Rachagulla B, Vallandaramam P, Premachandran KP, Pawar S, Gugale P, Hosamani P, Dutt SN, Nair S, Kalpakkam H, Badhwar S, Kompella KK, Singla N, Navlakhe M, Prayag A, Singh G, Dhakecha P, Chakrabarti A. Risk factors, mortality, and predictors of survival in COVID-19-associated pulmonary mucormycosis: a multicentre retrospective study from India. Clin Microbiol Infect 2024; 30:368-374. [PMID: 38081413 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2023.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To compare COVID-19-associated pulmonary mucormycosis (CAPM) with COVID-19-associated rhino-orbital mucormycosis (CAROM), ascertain factors associated with CAPM among patients with COVID-19, and identify factors associated with 12-week mortality in CAPM. METHODS We performed a retrospective multicentre cohort study. All study participants had COVID-19. We enrolled CAPM, CAROM, and COVID-19 subjects without mucormycosis (controls; age-matched). We collected information on demography, predisposing factors, and details of COVID-19 illness. Univariable analysis was used to compare CAPM and CAROM. We used multivariable logistic regression to evaluate factors associated with CAPM (with hypoxemia during COVID-19 as the primary exposure) and at 12-week mortality. RESULTS We included 1724 cases (CAPM [n = 122], CAROM [n = 1602]) and 3911 controls. Male sex, renal transplantation, multimorbidity, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, intensive care admission, and cumulative glucocorticoid dose for COVID-19 were significantly higher in CAPM than in CAROM. On multivariable analysis, COVID-19-related hypoxemia (aOR, 2.384; 95% CI, 1.209-4.700), male sex, rural residence, diabetes mellitus, serum C-reactive protein, glucocorticoid, and zinc use during COVID-19 were independently associated with CAPM. CAPM reported a higher 12-week mortality than CAROM (56 of the 107 [52.3%] vs. 413 of the 1356 [30.5%]; p = 0.0001). Hypoxemia during COVID-19 (aOR [95% CI], 3.70 [1.34-10.25]) and Aspergillus co-infection (aOR [95% CI], 5.40 [1.23-23.64]) were independently associated with mortality in CAPM, whereas surgery was associated with better survival. DISCUSSION CAPM is a distinct entity with a higher mortality than CAROM. Hypoxemia during COVID-19 illness is associated with CAPM. COVID-19 hypoxemia and Aspergillus co-infection were associated with higher mortality in CAPM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valliappan Muthu
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Ritesh Agarwal
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
| | | | - Deepak Thangaraju
- Department of Microbiology, Kovai Medical Center and Hospital, Coimbatore, India
| | | | - Atul K Patel
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Sterling Hospital, Ahmedabad, India
| | | | - Ashwini Tayade
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kingsway Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
| | - Sudhir Bhandari
- Department of Internal Medicine, Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Vishwanath Gella
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | - Jayanthi Savio
- Department of Microbiology, St. John's Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Surabhi Madan
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Care Institute of Medical Sciences, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Vinaykumar Hallur
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Science Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | | | - Arjun Srinivasan
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Royal Care Hospital, Coimbatore, India
| | | | | | - Sanjay Pujari
- Department of HIV Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Poona Hospital and Research Centre, Pune, Maharashtra, India
| | - Ravindra Mehta
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Tanu Singhal
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Puneet Saxena
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Army Hospital (Research and Referral), New Delhi, India
| | - Varsha Gupta
- Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College, Chandigarh, India
| | - Vasant Nagvekar
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Global Hospital, Mumbai, India
| | - Parikshit Prayag
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, India
| | - Dharmesh Patel
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, City Clinic and Bhailal Amin General Hospital, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
| | - Immaculata Xess
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Pratik Savaj
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Institute of Infectious Disease and Critical Care Hospital, Surat, Gujarat, India
| | - Inderpaul Singh Sehgal
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Naresh Panda
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | | | | | - Kamlesh Patel
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Prevention & Control, Sterling Hospital, Ahmedabad, India
| | - Anuradha Deshmukh
- Department of Microbiology, Kingsway Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
| | - Aruna Vyas
- Department of Microbiology, Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
| | - Raghava Rao Gandra
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
| | - Srinivas Kishore Sistla
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Asian Institute of Gastroenterology, Hyderabad, Telengana, India
| | - Priyadarshini A Padaki
- Department of Microbiology, St. John's Medical College and Hospital, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
| | - Dharshni Ramar
- Clinical Associate, Department of Research, Care Institute of Medical Sciences, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
| | - Saurav Sarkar
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, All India Institute of Medical Science, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
| | - Bharani Rachagulla
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Yashoda Hospitals, Somajiguda, Hyderabad, India
| | | | | | - Sunil Pawar
- Department of Internal Medicine, Government Medical College, Patiala, Punjab, India
| | - Piyush Gugale
- Department of HIV Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Poona Hospital and Research Centre, Pune, Maharashtra, India
| | - Pradeep Hosamani
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Sunil Narayan Dutt
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | - Satish Nair
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
| | | | - Sanjiv Badhwar
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute, Mumbai, India
| | - Kiran Kumar Kompella
- Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Army Hospital (Research and Referral), New Delhi, India
| | - Nidhi Singla
- Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College, Chandigarh, India
| | - Milind Navlakhe
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Global Hospital, Mumbai, India
| | - Amrita Prayag
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, Pune, India
| | - Gagandeep Singh
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
| | - Poorvesh Dhakecha
- Clinical Associate, Department of Research, Institute of Infectious Disease and Critical Care Hospital, Surat, Gujarat, India
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Thornton CR. The potential for rapid antigen testing for mucormycosis in the context of COVID-19. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2024; 24:161-167. [PMID: 37405409 DOI: 10.1080/14737159.2023.2233906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Mucormycosis is a highly aggressive angio-invasive disease of humans caused by Mucorales fungi. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, mucormycosis was a rare mycosis typically seen in immunocompromised patients with hematological malignancies or in transplant recipients. During the second wave of the pandemic, there was a dramatic increase in the disease, especially in India where a unique set of circumstances led to large numbers of life-threatening and disfiguring rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) infections. AREAS COVERED The review examines mucormycosis as a super-infection of COVID-19 patients, and the risk factors for COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAM) that drove the ROCM epidemic in India. The limitations of current diagnostic procedures are identified, and the measures needed to improve the speed and accuracy of detection discussed. EXPERT OPINION Despite increased awareness, global healthcare systems remain unprepared for further outbreaks of ROCM. Current diagnosis of the disease is slow and inaccurate, negatively impacting on patient survival. This is most evident in low- to middle-income countries which lack suitably equipped diagnostic facilities for rapid identification of the infecting pathogens. Rapid antigen testing using point-of-care lateral-flow assays could potentially have aided in the quick and accurate diagnosis of the disease, allowing earlier intervention with surgery and Mucorales-active antifungal drugs.
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5
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Jenks JD, Prattes J, Wurster S, Sprute R, Seidel D, Oliverio M, Egger M, Del Rio C, Sati H, Cornely OA, Thompson GR, Kontoyiannis DP, Hoenigl M. Social determinants of health as drivers of fungal disease. EClinicalMedicine 2023; 66:102325. [PMID: 38053535 PMCID: PMC10694587 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Disparities in social determinants of health (SDOH) play a significant role in causing health inequities globally. The physical environment, including housing and workplace environment, can increase the prevalence and spread of fungal infections. A number of professions are associated with increased fungal infection risk and are associated with low pay, which may be linked to crowded and sub-optimal living conditions, exposure to fungal organisms, lack of access to quality health care, and risk for fungal infection. Those involved and displaced from areas of armed conflict have an increased risk of invasive fungal infections. Lastly, a number of fungal plant pathogens already threaten food security, which will become more problematic with global climate change. Taken together, disparities in SDOH are associated with increased risk for contracting fungal infections. More emphasis needs to be placed on systematic approaches to better understand the impact and reducing the health inequities associated with these disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey D. Jenks
- Durham County Department of Public Health, Durham, NC, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States of America
| | - Juergen Prattes
- Division of Infectious Diseases, ECMM Excellence Center for Medical Mycology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- BioTechMed, Graz, Austria
| | - Sebastian Wurster
- Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control and Employee Health, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Rosanne Sprute
- Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Institute of Translational Research, Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging – Associated Diseases (CECAD), Cologne, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Department I of Internal Medicine, University of Cologne, Center of Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD) and Excellence Center of Medical Mycology (ECMM), Cologne, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Danila Seidel
- Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Institute of Translational Research, Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging – Associated Diseases (CECAD), Cologne, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Department I of Internal Medicine, University of Cologne, Center of Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD) and Excellence Center of Medical Mycology (ECMM), Cologne, Germany
| | - Matteo Oliverio
- Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Institute of Translational Research, Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging – Associated Diseases (CECAD), Cologne, Germany
- Department I of Internal Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Matthias Egger
- Division of Infectious Diseases, ECMM Excellence Center for Medical Mycology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- BioTechMed, Graz, Austria
| | - Carlos Del Rio
- Emory Center for AIDS Research, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States of America
| | - Hatim Sati
- Department of Global Coordination and Partnership on Antimicrobial Resistance, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Oliver A. Cornely
- Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Institute of Translational Research, Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging – Associated Diseases (CECAD), Cologne, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Department I of Internal Medicine, University of Cologne, Center of Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Duesseldorf (CIO ABCD) and Excellence Center of Medical Mycology (ECMM), Cologne, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Clinical Trials Centre Cologne (ZKS Koln), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - George R. Thompson
- University of California Davis Center for Valley Fever, Sacramento, CA, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, United States of America
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, United States of America
| | - Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis
- Division of Internal Medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control and Employee Health, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Martin Hoenigl
- Division of Infectious Diseases, ECMM Excellence Center for Medical Mycology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
- BioTechMed, Graz, Austria
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Juyal D, Pal S, Negi N, Singh M, Kumar M, Singhal S. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-associated mucormycosis (CAM): The unholy triad of COVID-19, diabetes mellitus, and corticosteroid therapy. J Family Med Prim Care 2023; 12:2538-2541. [PMID: 38186842 PMCID: PMC10771147 DOI: 10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1130_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 08/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The whole world has battled with multiple waves of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus. However, the second wave of COVID-19 had caused a worldwide havoc in terms of disease transmissibility, severity, and mortality. India has been among the worst hit countries during the second wave, which substantially overburdened and overwhelmed the Indian health care system. While secondary infections and co-infections among COVID-19 patients were increasingly being reported, COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAM) emerged as a new challenge particularly from India and became a matter of immediate concern. The most common causes attributed to the rise of CAM were undiagnosed/uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, excessive use of corticosteroids, and prolonged hospital stay, all of which create a perfect environment for mucormycosis infection to set in.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Juyal
- Department of Microbiology, Government Doon Medical College, Dehrakhas, Patel Nagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Shekhar Pal
- Department of Microbiology, Government Doon Medical College, Dehrakhas, Patel Nagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
- Viral Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, Departments of Microbiology, Government Doon Medical College, Dehrakhas, Patel Nagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Nidhi Negi
- Department of Microbiology, Government Doon Medical College, Dehrakhas, Patel Nagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Minakshi Singh
- Department of Microbiology, Government Doon Medical College, Dehrakhas, Patel Nagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Manish Kumar
- Department of Microbiology, Government Doon Medical College, Dehrakhas, Patel Nagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Shweta Singhal
- Department of Microbiology, Government Doon Medical College, Dehrakhas, Patel Nagar, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
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Sharma B, Nonzom S. Mucormycosis and Its Upsurge During COVID-19 Epidemic: An Updated Review. Curr Microbiol 2023; 80:322. [PMID: 37592083 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-023-03430-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Although mucormycosis may have reached an epidemic situation during the COVID-19 pandemic, the term was much more familiar even before the COVID-19 period. The year 2020 showed an outbreak of novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) which affected millions of people all over the world. One of the noticeable complications observed to be associated with this disease is mucormycosis. It is an opportunistic infection caused by members of the Order Mucorales existing worldwide and has been commonly reported as a laboratory contaminant for a long time. However, nowadays due to the changes in the host environment, they have been emerging as potent opportunistic pathogens responsible for causing primary infections or coinfections with other diseases eventually resulting in morbidity and even mortality in severe cases. Although immunocompromised patients are more susceptible to this infection, few cases have been reported in immunocompetent individuals. Various risk factors which are responsible for the acquisition of mucormycosis include diabetes mellitus type 2, ketoacidosis, hematological malignancies, organ transplants, and chemotherapy recipients. Among the various etiological agents, Rhizopus is found to be the most common, and rhino-cerebral to be the most frequent clinical presentation. As far as pathogenesis is concerned, host cell invasion, thrombosis, and necrosis are the main events in the progression of this disease. The aim of the present review is to address a complete spectrum of mucormycosis and COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAM) in a single article. Both global and Indian scenarios of mucormycosis are taken into account while framing this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bharti Sharma
- Department of Botany, University of Jammu, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, 180006, India
| | - Skarma Nonzom
- Department of Botany, University of Jammu, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, 180006, India.
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Rudramurthy SM, Singh S, Kanaujia R, Chaudhary H, Muthu V, Panda N, Pandey A, Thakur S, Kaur H, Ghosh A, Agarwal R, Chakrabarti A. Clinical and Mycologic Characteristics of Emerging Mucormycosis Agent Rhizopus homothallicus. Emerg Infect Dis 2023; 29:1313-1322. [PMID: 37347535 PMCID: PMC10310386 DOI: 10.3201/eid2907.221491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
We retrospectively reviewed consecutive cases of mucormycosis reported from a tertiary-care center in India to determine the clinical and mycologic characteristics of emerging Rhizopus homothallicus fungus. The objectives were ascertaining the proportion of R. homothallicus infection and the 30-day mortality rate in rhino-orbital mucormycosis attributable to R. homothallicus compared with R. arrhizus. R. homothallicus accounted for 43 (6.8%) of the 631 cases of mucormycosis. R. homothallicus infection was independently associated with better survival (odds ratio [OR] 0.08 [95% CI 0.02-0.36]; p = 0.001) than for R. arrhizus infection (4/41 [9.8%] vs. 104/266 [39.1%]) after adjusting for age, intracranial involvement, and surgery. We also performed antifungal-susceptibility testing, which indicated a low range of MICs for R. homothallicus against the commonly used antifungals (amphotericin B [0.03-16], itraconazole [0.03-16], posaconazole [0.03-8], and isavuconazole [0.03-16]). 18S gene sequencing and amplified length polymorphism analysis revealed distinct clustering of R. homothallicus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Rimjhim Kanaujia
- Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | | | - Valliappan Muthu
- Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Naresh Panda
- Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Abhishek Pandey
- Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Sheetal Thakur
- Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Harsimran Kaur
- Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Anup Ghosh
- Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Ritesh Agarwal
- Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
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Muthu V, Agarwal R, Chakrabarti A. COVID-19, mucormycosis, and the cow: Damned lies! Indian J Med Microbiol 2023; 44:100382. [PMID: 37356841 PMCID: PMC10208110 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmmb.2023.100382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Valliappan Muthu
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
| | - Ritesh Agarwal
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
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Garg D, Soundappan K, Agarwal R, Mukherjee S, Kumar M, Dhooria S, Sehgal IS, Prasad KT, Ramachandran R, Patil S, Aggarwal AN, Rudramurthy SM, Chakrabarti A, Muthu V. Risk factors for pulmonary mucormycosis in subjects with diabetes mellitus-A case-control study. Mycoses 2023. [PMID: 37191090 DOI: 10.1111/myc.13604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2023] [Revised: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Factors associated with pulmonary mucormycosis (PM) among subjects with diabetes mellitus (DM) remain unclear. Following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-associated mucormycosis outbreak in India, specific environmental exposures (especially cattle dung exposure) were proposed as possible aetiology. We hypothesized that environmental factors are associated with PM. We compared subjects with DM with (cases) and without PM (controls). METHODS In this case-control study, for each PM case, we included five unmatched diabetic controls (hospital [n = 2], community [n = 3]) without PM. We collected information on demography, COVID-19 infection, glycated haemoglobin% (HbA1c), the type of house (pucca vs. kutcha) where the participants reside, and other environmental factors. The primary exposure tested was cattle dung exposure (CDE; using cattle dung cakes as fuel or cattle handling). We performed a multivariate logistic regression to explore factors associated with PM and report the association as an adjusted odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS We enrolled 39 PM cases and 199 controls (hospital [n = 80], community [n = 119]). CDE (OR 0.68, 95% CI [0.14-3.31]; p = 0.63) was not associated with increased PM in DM. We found male sex (OR 4.07, 95% CI [1.16-14.31]), higher HbA1c (OR 1.51, 95% CI [1.18-16.32]), COVID-19 (OR 28.25, 95% CI [7.02-113.6]) and residence at kutcha house (OR 4.84, 95% CI [1.33-17.52]) associated with PM. CONCLUSION Cattle dung exposure was not associated with PM in subjects with DM. Instead, male sex, poor glycaemic control, COVID-19 and the type of housing were associated with pulmonary mucormycosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deepak Garg
- Department of Internal Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Kathirvel Soundappan
- Department of Community Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Ritesh Agarwal
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Soham Mukherjee
- Department of Endocrinology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Mahendra Kumar
- Department of Immunopathology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Sahajal Dhooria
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Inderpaul Singh Sehgal
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Kuruswamy Thurai Prasad
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Raja Ramachandran
- Department of Nephrology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Shivakumar Patil
- Department of Renal Transplant Surgery, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | - Ashutosh Nath Aggarwal
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
| | | | | | - Valliappan Muthu
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India
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Mucormycosis in a Patient with Severe COVID-19 Disease—The First Case Report in Romania and a Literature Review. Medicina (B Aires) 2023; 59:medicina59030555. [PMID: 36984555 PMCID: PMC10058997 DOI: 10.3390/medicina59030555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: COVID-19 infection is often associated with a vast spectrum of opportunistic bacterial and fungal infections. Herein, we share a summary of the first case of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAM) in a patient from Romania. Case presentation: A 51-year-old male non-smoker, with no known relevant medical history, who denied any previous alcohol use and was vaccinated against COVID-19 (complete scheme with Vaxzevria), was admitted to the hospital for severe COVID-19 infection. The first mucormycosis-related symptoms were reported on the eighth day of admission and were followed by the rapid deterioration of the patient’s condition and, consequently, death. The main aggravating factors, which were identified to be associated with the development of mucormycosis and with the poor outcome, were the association of severe COVID-19, new-onset COVID-19-triggered type 2 diabetes, and corticoid treatment for severe COVID-19. Conclusion: The association between severe COVID-19 and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes, triggered by COVID-19 infection, increases the risk of severe opportunistic fungal infections and the associated mortality rates.
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Muthu V, Agarwal R, Rudramurthy SM, Thangaraju D, Shevkani MR, Patel AK, Shastri PS, Tayade A, Bhandari S, Gella V, Savio J, Madan S, Hallur VK, Maturu VN, Srinivasan A, Sethuraman N, Sibia RPS, Pujari S, Mehta R, Singhal T, Saxena P, Gupta V, Nagvekar V, Prayag P, Patel D, Xess I, Savaj P, Panda N, Rajagopal GD, Parwani RS, Patel K, Deshmukh A, Vyas A, Sistla SK, Padaki PA, Ramar D, Sarkar S, Rachagulla B, Vallandaramam P, Premachandran KP, Pawar S, Gugale P, Hosamani P, Dutt SN, Nair S, Kalpakkam H, Badhwar S, Kompella KK, Singla N, Navlakhe M, Prayag A, Singh G, Dhakecha P, Chakrabarti A. Multicenter Case-Control Study of COVID-19-Associated Mucormycosis Outbreak, India. Emerg Infect Dis 2023; 29:8-19. [PMID: 36573628 PMCID: PMC9796192 DOI: 10.3201/eid2901.220926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We found inappropriate glucocorticoid therapy and zinc supplementation were significantly associated with these illnesses. We performed a case–control study across 25 hospitals in India for the period of January–June 2021 to evaluate the reasons for an COVID-19–associated mucormycosis (CAM) outbreak. We investigated whether COVID-19 treatment practices (glucocorticoids, zinc, tocilizumab, and others) were associated with CAM. We included 1,733 cases of CAM and 3,911 age-matched COVID-19 controls. We found cumulative glucocorticoid dose (odds ratio [OR] 1.006, 95% CI 1.004–1.007) and zinc supplementation (OR 2.76, 95% CI 2.24–3.40), along with elevated C-reactive protein (OR 1.004, 95% CI 1.002–1.006), host factors (renal transplantation [OR 7.58, 95% CI 3.31–17.40], diabetes mellitus [OR 6.72, 95% CI 5.45–8.28], diabetic ketoacidosis during COVID-19 [OR 4.41, 95% CI 2.03–9.60]), and rural residence (OR 2.88, 95% CI 2.12–3.79), significantly associated with CAM. Mortality rate at 12 weeks was 32.2% (473/1,471). We emphasize the judicious use of COVID-19 therapies and optimal glycemic control to prevent CAM.
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