Work

Overview of Mucormycosis Cases in Türkiye: A Cumulative Case Analysis

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Mucormycosis is a life-threatening angioinvasive fungal infection that primarily affects immunocompromised individuals, especially those with diabetes mellitus or hematologic malignancies. Despite its clinical importance, a comprehensive synthesis of mucormycosis cases from Türkiye is lacking. This study aimed to review and synthesize the published case reports on mucormycosis in Türkiye systematically. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mucormycosis case reports from Türkiye published between 1 January 1966 and 30 November 2024 were reviewed and analyzed, with an emphasis on demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment strategies, and outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 199 cases from 155 publications were included. Mean age was 47.7 years, and 51.8% of patients were male. Diabetes mellitus was the most frequent underlying condition (65.8%), followed by hematologic malignancies (16.6%). Rhino-cerebral involvement was the predominant clinical form (86.4%). Histopathological confirmation was reported in 91.0% of cases, whereas microbiological confirmation was available in 47.7%. Overall mortality was 43.7%. Surgical debridement was performed in 69.3% of cases, and crude mortality was lower among patients who underwent surgery than among those who did not. Liposomal amphotericin B was the most frequently reported antifungal agent. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a national descriptive synthesis of published mucormycosis cases from Türkiye over nearly six decades. The findings highlight the predominance of diabetes-associated rhino-cerebral disease, frequent reliance on histopathology, and the importance of combined medical-surgical management in routine practice. Because the dataset is based on heterogeneous published case reports and case series spanning a long time period, treatment-outcome findings should be interpreted descriptively.

Source: Journal of Fungi

DOI: 10.3390/jof12060443

Authors: Melike Yaşar Duman, Egemen Bolat, Seyfi Durmaz, Dilek Yeşim Metin, Süleyha Hilmioğlu-Polat

Institution: Ege University

Language: English

Topic: Antifungal resistance and susceptibility

Subfield: Infectious Diseases

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137