Background
In this article, pediatric mucormycosis will be reviewed, such as infection involving immunosuppressed children; this disease has also been observed in neonates (especially premature infants), patients with burns, and children with a history of incidental trauma.
Mucormycosis usually refers to fungal infections in immunosuppressed hosts caused by ubiquitous molds found in organic matter and soil. Such molds belong to the order Mucorales.
The infections they cause manifest in the rhinocerebral, pulmonary, cutaneous (see the image below), gastrointestinal (GI), disseminated, and central nervous systems.
Black eschar on the skin of an immunocompromised patient.
Mucormycosis is often life threatening. Therefore, prompt diagnosis and institution of antifungal therapy are vital, as is appropriate management of the underlying disease process.
See also Pediatric Mucormycosis and Rhinocerebral Mucormycosis.