Successful Oral Isavuconazole Monotherapy for Invasive Pulmonary Mucormycosis in Kidney Transplant Recipients: Case Reports and Literature Review.

Abstract

This study represents 2 cases of kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) with invasive pulmonary Rhizopus infection, successfully treated with oral isavuconazole monotherapy without lobectomy. The rapid detection via mNGS of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid enabled early diagnosis and timely intervention, resulting in complete recovery and stable graft function. The literature review revealed a 16.7% mortality rate among 13 cases, with a higher mortality rate of 66.7% among patients receiving antifungal treatment without surgical intervention. Our findings underscore the efficacy of isavuconazole as a first-line monotherapy, characterized by lower nephrotoxicity and fewer interactions with immunosuppressants, and emphasize the crucial role of metagenome next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in early diagnosis of invasive mucormycosis in high-risk population.