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Case Reports
. 2021 Oct;49(5):1055-1060.
doi: 10.1007/s15010-020-01561-x. Epub 2020 Dec 17.

A challenging complication following SARS-CoV-2 infection: a case of pulmonary mucormycosis

Daniela Pasero  1   2 , Silvana Sanna  3 , Corrado Liperi  4 , Davide Piredda  4 , Gian Pietro Branca  4   5 , Lorenzo Casadio  5 , Raffaella Simeo  5 , Alice Buselli  5 , Davide Rizzo  6 , Francesco Bussu  5   6 , Salvatore Rubino  3   7 , Pierpaolo Terragni  4   5
Affiliations
Case Reports

A challenging complication following SARS-CoV-2 infection: a case of pulmonary mucormycosis

Daniela Pasero et al. Infection. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection might induce a significant and sustained lymphopenia, increasing the risk of developing opportunistic infections. Mucormycosis is a rare but severe invasive fungal infection, mainly described in immunocompromised patients. The first case of a patient diagnosed with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) who developed a pulmonary mucormycosis with extensive cavitary lesions is here reported. This case highlights how this new coronavirus might impair the immune response, exposing patients to higher risk of developing opportunistic infections and leading to worse outcomes.

Keywords: Mucormycosis; Opportunistic infections; SARS-Cov-2.

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Microbiological sample from bronchial aspirate: morphology of Rizhopus spp.. Lactophenol cotton blue preparation showed aseptate broad hyphae, sporangia and sporangiospores
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
a Thoracic computed tomography (CT) scan showed buried cavitary lesions in the left lung; b cranial CT scan showed corpuscular material in the left maxillary sinus
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

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