Mucormycosis in a diabetic.

Mucormycosis is an acute, often fatal intection caused by saprophytic fungi, of the order Mucorales. It occurs in debilitated patients who are compromised immunologically due to uncontrolled diabetes lymphoma, corticosteroid treatment and radiotherapy (Jain et al., 1978). Only 13 cases were reported up to 1963 (Pilsbury and Fischer, 1977). The fungus appears in tissues as hyphae which are irregular, non-septate and tend to branch nearly at right angles. It gains access by inhalation, involves palate, pharynx and nasal mucosa by contiguous spread and leads to infarction and gangrene of the sites involved (Abramson, Wilson and Arky, 1967). It may later spread to the paranasal sinuses, cribiform plate, meninges and brain. Mucormycosis of the paranasal sinuses and orbit has been reported to occur rarely without gross cerebral lesions (Baker and Durham, 1957); these cases are the ones that more often recover and the following case belonged to this category.