Korean J Gastrointest Endosc.  1999 Dec;19(6):953-958.

A Case of Gastric Mucormycosis Associated with Diabetes Mellitus and Uremia

• Choi WR
• Lim CN
• Won KH
• Lee SH
• Lim SH
• Kim NY
• Lee KH
• Choi SE

Abstract

Mucormycosis is an infection caused by fungi of the class Zygomycetes, order Mucorales. These are usual ubiquitous saprophytes but occasionally cause opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients. Typically, these fungi invade blood vessels, and produce thrombosis and tissue infarction, so causing host fatality. These infections can be categorized into rhinocerebral, pulmonary, widely disseminated, gastrointestinal, cutaneous and miscellaneous form. Most of mucormycosis cases reported in Korea were rhinocerebral form except for three cases, which were gastrointestinal mucormycosis, accompanied with hematologic malignancy or immunosuppressing treatment. We experienced a 58-year-old male with gastric mucormycosis, who had diabetes and mild uremia without hematologic malignancy and immunosuppressive treatments. His chief complaints were abdominal pain and melena, and gastroscopy showed a 3 3 cm irregular edged ulcer considering malignancy. Its histological findings showed large, thin-walled, non-septate and right-angled branching fungal hyphae in necrotic tissue, diagnosed as mucormycosis. Finally he was dead due to severe hematemesis.

Keyword

Gastric mucormycosis; DM; Uremia

MeSH Terms

Abdominal Pain
Blood Vessels
Diabetes Mellitus*
Fungi
Gastroscopy
Hematemesis
Hematologic Neoplasms
Humans
Hyphae
Immunocompromised Host
Infarction
Korea
Male
Melena
Middle Aged
Mucorales
Mucormycosis*
Opportunistic Infections
Thrombosis
Ulcer
Uremia*