A diagnosis neglected for 6 years： report of a misdiagnosed case of pulmonary mucormycosis and review of the literature

• Published in: Chinese medical journal Vol. 123; no. 17; pp. 2480 - 2482
• Main Authors: Li, Wen-fang, He, Chao, Liu, Xue-feng, Wang, Sheng-yun, Qu, Jin-long, Lin, Zhao-fen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China Department of Emergency Medicine, Changzheng Hospital,Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200003, China 05-09-2010
• Subjects: Diagnostic Errors; Humans; Lung Diseases, Fungal - diagnosis; Lung Diseases, Fungal - drug therapy; Lung Diseases, Fungal - pathology; Male; Middle Aged; Mucormycosis - diagnosis; Mucormycosis - drug therapy; Mucormycosis - pathology; Radiography, Thoracic; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; 毛霉菌病; 真菌感染; 霉菌感染; pulmonary mucormycosis; misdiagnosis
• ISSN: 0366-6999; 2542-5641
• DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.0366-6999.2010.17.036

Pulmonary mucormycosis is an uncommon and often fatal opportunistic fungal infection caused by fungi in the class zygomycetes of the order mucorales. As a rare clinical entity characterized by acute onset, rapid progression and high mortality rate, pulmonary mucormycosis often results in fatal consequences within two years after the onset, and can be easily misdiagnosed. Here we report a case of pulmonary mucormycosis for which a definite diagnosis had not been established until 6 years after the initial onset.