Successful treatment of pulmonary mucormycosis with combined medical and surgical approach

Mucormycosis is an invasive opportunistic fungal infection that occurs frequently in diabetic patients with high rate of mortality. We report a new case of pulmonary mucormycosis in a 56-year-old woman with poorly controlled insulin dependent type II diabetes. Initial symptoms were recurrent haemoptysis with pulmonary infection unresponsive to broad-spectrum antibiotics. Bronchial biopsy showed hyphae with right-angle branching, typical of mucormycosis. Outcome was favourable after long-term amphotericin B and surgery. Although mucormycosis is rare, it should be considered in high-risk patients because early diagnosis and timely therapy combining antifungal drug, surgery and control of underlying disease appear to improve the prognosis.