Zygomycosis is a rare fungal infection caused by bread mold fungi called mucormycetes. It most commonly affects people with weakened immune systems from conditions like diabetes, cancer, or organ transplant. The fungi are found in soil and decaying matter. Symptoms depend on the infected area but can include sinus pain, coughing blood, or skin lesions. Risk factors are diabetes, cancer treatments, corticosteroids, or skin injuries. Diagnosis involves tissue samples analyzed microscopically or in culture. Treatment requires antifungal medications like amphotericin B and sometimes surgery to remove infected tissue. Prevention focuses on controlling underlying illnesses that weaken the immune system.

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ZYGOMYCOSIS
Table of contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. Etiology Of Zygomycosis
3. Other Species
4. Types of zygomycosis:
I. Symptoms of Zygomycosis:
II. Symptoms of pulmonary (lung) zygomycosis include:
III. Symptoms of gastrointestinal mucormycosis include:
IV. Symptoms of rhinocerebral (sinus and brain) zygomycosis include:
V. Cutaneous (skin) zygomycosis
VI. Symptoms of gastrointestinal zygomycosis include:
VII. Disseminated zygomycosis
5. Pathogenesis
6. Transmission
7. Is zygomycosis contagious?
8. Epidemiology
9. Diagnosis:
10. Treatment:
11. Prevention
Submitted to Madam Saira

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ZYGOMYCOSIS
INTRODUCTION:
Zygomycosis is the fungal disease which is caused by bread mold fungi of the phylum
zygomycota . Zygomycosis also known as mucormycosis or phycomycosis .It is a serious
disease but rare fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes. This
infection occur in mostly occur in children with weakened immune systems. It may develop in
children with leukemia, lymphoma and those who are debilitated in some major way
(uncontrolled diabetics, immunocompromised patients, AIDs and cancer patients ), and other
healthy peoples who contact with contaminated soil and water inhaled, embedded in wounds, or
simply forced into skin, mouth, eyes, and nose by the force of water, soil, or wind pressure. It
also caused disseminated infection if entered into the blood stream spreads which affect the
lungs and brain and, in the worst cases, cause pneumonia, infection of the brain, seizures,
paralysis, and death. This infection is diagnosed with laboratory tests examining nasal discharges
and phlegm, as well as by conducting biopsies of, for example, lung lesions. Treatment includes
surgical removal of the infected tissue, if possible, and use of medicines such as high-dose
amphotericin B. These fungi live throughout the environment, particularly in soil and in
association with decaying organic matter, such as leaves, compost piles, or rotten wood. The
disease is not passed person to person.
Etiology Of Zygomycosis
The pathogenic species , Mucorales and Entomophthorales are responsible for zygomycosis
disease.
Other Species
 Rhizopus species
 Mucor species
 Cunninghamella bertholletiae
 Apophysomyces species
 and Lichtheimia species.

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Types of zygomycosis:
Zygomycosis can affect nearly any parts of the body, but it most commonly affects the sinuses or
the lungs in people who having weakened immune systems.
1) Rhinocerebral (sinus and brain) zygomycosis is an infection in the sinuses that can
spread to the brain. This form of zygomycosis is most common in people with
uncontrolled diabetes.
2) Pulmonary (lung) zygomycosis is the most common type of zygomycosis in people with
cancer and in people who have had an organ transplant or a stem cell transplant.
3) Gastrointestinal zygomycosis can result from ingestion of the fungal spores. This type
of zygomycosis is less common among adults and is more common among young
children, especially infants <1 month of age.
4) Cutaneous (skin) zygomycosis: occurs after the fungi enter the body through a break in
the skin (for example, after surgery, a burn, or other type of skin trauma). This is the most
common form of zygomycosis among people who do not have weakened immune
systems.
5) Disseminated zygomycosis occurs when the infection spreads through the bloodstream
to affect another part of the body. The brain is the most commonly affected part of the
body, but other organs such as the spleen, heart, and skin can also be affected.
Symptoms of Zygomycosis:
The symptoms of zygomycosis depend on where in the body the fungus is growing.
Zygomycosis is rare and typically affects people with weakened immune systems. Contact your
healthcare provider if you have symptoms that you think are related to zygomycosis.
 Symptoms of pulmonary (lung) zygomycosis include:
 Chest pain
 Cough
 Coughing blood (occasionally)
 Fever
 Symptoms of gastrointestinal mucormycosis include:
 Abdominal pain

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 Blood in the stools
 Diarrhea
 Vomiting blood
 Symptoms of rhinocerebral (sinus and brain) zygomycosis include:
 Dark scabbing in nasal cavities
 Mental status changes
 Redness of skin above sinuses
 Sinus pain or congestion
 One-sided facial swelling
 Eyes that swell and stick out (protrude)
 Headache
 Nasal or sinus congestion
 Black lesions on upper inside of mouth
 Fever
 Eyes that swell and stick out (protrude)
 Dark scabbing in nasal cavities
 Mental status changes
 Redness of skin above sinuses
 Sinus pain or congestion
Cutaneous (skin) zygomycosis: can look like blisters or ulcers, and the infected area may turn
black. Other symptoms include pain, warmth, excessive redness, or swelling around a wound.
Disseminated zygomycosis: typically occurs in people who are already sick from other medical
conditions, so it can be difficult to know which symptoms are related to zygomycosis. Patients
with disseminated infection in the brain can develop mental status changes or coma.
Pathogenesis:
Inhalation of spores is the most common mode of entry. The spores then germinate to produce
hyphae, which invade blood vessels, causing thrombosis and subsequent tissue necrosis. Invasion
of the vessels also promotes dissemination of the fungus to other organs. Normal mononuclear
and polymorphonuclear phagocytes are essential to kill Mucorales by generating oxidative

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metabolites and cationic peptide defensins. Macrophages inhibit spore germination and
neutrophils damage hyphae.
Various factors increase the risk of acquiring mucormycosis by impairing either quantity of
neutrophils, as in chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, or quality of neutrophils, as with
corticosteroids and acidosis.
Risk Factors:
Overall, zygomycosis is rare, but it’s more common among people with weakened immune
systems than among people who are otherwise healthy. Certain groups of people are at higher
risk for developing zygomycosis, including people with:
 Diabetes, especially with diabetic ketoacidosis
 Cancer
 Organ transplant
 Stem cell transplant
 Neutropenia (low number of white blood cells)
 Long-term corticosteroid use
 Illicit injection drug use
 Too much iron in the body
 Skin trauma (due to surgery, burns, or other skin injuries)
 Prematurity and low birthweight (for gastrointestinal zygomycosis)
 AIDS
 Diabetes (usually poorly controlled)
 Leukemia and lymphoma
 Long-term steroid use
 Metabolic acidosis
 Poor nutrition (malnutrition)
Transmission:
People get zygomycosis by coming in contact with fungal spores in the environment. For
example, the lung or sinus forms of the infection can occur after someone inhales the spores

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from the air. Zygomycosis can develop on the skin after the fungus enters the skin through a cut,
scrape, burn, or other type of skin trauma.
Is zygomycosis contagious?
No. Zygomycosis can’t spread between people or between people and animals.
Epidemiology
Frequency
International
The distribution of the various forms of zygomycosis is uniform regardless of age, geography, or
race.
Mortality/Morbidity
The overall mortality rate associated with zygomycosis is approximately 50% and has remained
at this level for the past 50 years. Rhinocerebral zygomycosis carries a mortality rate of
approximately 85%. Mortality rates are very high because, by the time zygomycosis is suspected
and diagnosed, it has frequently spread diffusely and caused extensive tissue destruction.
However, the risk of mortality varies depending on the characteristics of the host, the type of
infection, the site of infection, and the use of surgical intervention. In general, antifungal therapy
and surgical management independently decrease the likelihood of death.
Sex
According to the latest epidemiologic surveys, approximately two thirds of all zygomycosis
cases occur in males. The reason for this discrepancy is poorly understood.
Diagnosis:
Healthcare providers consider your medical history, symptoms, physical examinations, and
laboratory tests when diagnosing zygomycosis. If your healthcare provider suspects that you
have zygomycosis in your lungs or sinuses, he or she might collect a sample of fluid from your
respiratory system to send to a laboratory. Your healthcare provider may perform a tissue biopsy,
in which a small sample of affected tissue is analyzed in a laboratory for evidence of
zygomycosis under a microscope or in a fungal culture. You may also need imaging tests such as

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a CT scan of your lungs, sinuses, or other parts of your body depending on the location of the
suspected infection.
Treatment:
Zygomycosis is a serious infection and needs to be treated with prescription antifungal
medication, usually amphotericin B, posaconazole or isavuconazole.
These medications are given through a vein (amphotericin B, posaconazole, isavuconazole) or by
mouth (posaconazole, isavuconazole). Often, zygomycosis requires surgery to cut away the
infected tissue.
Prevention
Because the fungi that cause mucormycosis are widespread, the best way to prevent this
infection is to improve control of the illnesses associated with mucormycosis.
AmjadKhanAfridi
Bs Microbiology
7th
Semester
23/12/2016