Autopsy Proven Pulmonary Mucormycosis Due to Rhizopus microsporus in a Critically Ill COVID-19 Patient with Underlying Hematological Malignancy

Christoph Zurl; Martin Hoenigl; Eduard Schulz; Stefan Hatzl; Gregor Gorkiewicz; Robert Krause; Philipp Eller; Juergen Prattes

doi:10.3390/jof7020088

Autopsy Proven Pulmonary Mucormycosis Due to Rhizopus microsporus in a Critically Ill COVID-19 Patient with Underlying Hematological Malignancy

J Fungi (Basel). 2021 Jan 27;7(2):88. doi: 10.3390/jof7020088.

Authors

Christoph Zurl^{1

2

3}, Martin Hoenigl^{1

4}, Eduard Schulz⁵, Stefan Hatzl⁵, Gregor Gorkiewicz^{3

6}, Robert Krause^{1

3}, Philipp Eller⁷, Juergen Prattes¹

Affiliations

¹ Section of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria.
² Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria.
³ BioTechMed-Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria.
⁴ Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92103, USA.
⁵ Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria.
⁶ Diagnostic and Research Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria.
⁷ Department of Internal Medicine, Intensive Care Unit, Medical University of Graz, 8036 Graz, Austria.

Abstract

Viral infections can cause acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), consequently leading to susceptibility for secondary pulmonary infections. Over the past few weeks, a number of studies have reported on secondary pulmonary aspergillosis complicating severe COVID-19. We report the case of a 53-year old male patient with secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who suffered from COVID-19 ARDS and was diagnosed postmortem with mucormycosis.

Keywords: COVID-19; co-infections; fungal infections; mucormycosis.

Publication types

Case Reports