Gastrointestinal Mucormycosis: A Clinical Review.

Abstract

Mucormycosis is a devastating fungal infection that is usually seen in immunocompromised hosts. It is caused by fungi of the subphylum Mucoromycotina, order Mucorales, with most cases caused by Mucor, Rhizopus, or Rhizomucor species. It can involve any organ system and can disseminate in severe cases. Lately, there has been an increased number of reports for mucormycosis infection in immunocompetent patients. Gastrointestinal system involvement is rare compared to other organ systems but has been increasingly reported in the literature. Mucormycosis can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract and lead to different presentations depending on the area of involvement. Due to the paucity of the condition, there has been no specific guidelines on how to treat gastrointestinal mucormycosis. In this review, we discuss the risk factors of gastrointestinal mucormycosis, clinical presentation, approach to diagnosis, and most recent treatment modalities for gastrointestinal mucormycosis.