Pathogenesis of Mucormycosis

Mucormycosis is a life-threatening infection that occurs in patients who are immunocompromised because of diabetic ketoacidosis, neutropenia, organ transplantation, and/or increased serum levels of available iron. Because of the increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus, cancer, and organ transplan...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical infectious diseases 2012-02, Vol.54 (suppl_1), p.S16-S22
Main Authors: Ibrahim, Ashraf S., Spellberg, Brad, Walsh, Thomas J., Kontoyiannis, Dimitrios P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cancer
Cells
Diabetes
Diabetic Ketoacidosis - metabolism
Diabetic Ketoacidosis - microbiology
Endothelial cells
Endothelial Cells - metabolism
Endothelial Cells - microbiology
Fungi
Genes, Fungal
Host-Pathogen Interactions
Humans
Immunocompromised Host
Infections
Iron - metabolism
Membrane transport proteins
Mucorales
Mucormycosis
Mucormycosis - metabolism
Mucormycosis - microbiology
Mucormycosis - pathology
Pathogenesis
Phagocytes - metabolism
Phagocytes - pathology
Rhizopus
Rhizopus - genetics
Rhizopus - metabolism
Rhizopus - pathogenicity
Risk Factors
Supplement
Virulence
Virulence factors
Virulence Factors - metabolism
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Mucormycosis is a life-threatening infection that occurs in patients who are immunocompromised because of diabetic ketoacidosis, neutropenia, organ transplantation, and/or increased serum levels of available iron. Because of the increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus, cancer, and organ transplantation, the number of patients at risk for this deadly infection is increasing. Despite aggressive therapy, which includes disfiguring surgical debridement and frequently adjunctive toxic antifungal therapy, the overall mortality rate is high. New strategies to prevent and treat mucormycosis are urgently needed. Understanding the pathogenesis of mucormycosis and the host response to invading hyphae ultimately will provide targets for novel therapeutic interventions. In this supplement, we review the current knowledge about the virulence traits used by the most common etiologic agent of mucormycosis, Rhizopus oryzae. Because patients with elevated serum levels of available iron are uniquely susceptible to mucormycosis and these infections are highly angioinvasive, emphasis is placed on the ability of the organism to acquire iron from the host and on its interactions with endothelial cells lining blood vessels. Several promising therapeutic strategies in preciinical stages are identified.
ISSN:1058-4838
1537-6591
DOI:10.1093/cid/cir865