Mucormycosis of the intestine: a rare complication in Crohn's disease.

Address correspondence to: Dr. Tauseef Ali, Section of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, 1345 WP. 920 SL Young Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73104; E-mail: [email protected] Mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection caused by fungi of the order Mucorales, with most cases caused by Rhizopus or Mucor species. The ubiquitous organisms responsible for infection can be found in decaying vegetation and soil.1 These rapidly growing fungi produce spores that can easily become airborne. Thus, most individuals have ample exposure to the fungi, with most cases of infection occurring in immunocompromised hosts. Risk factors for infection include diabetes mellitus, diabetic ketoacidosis, neutropenia, corticosteroid use, hematologic malignancies, bone marrow or solid organ transplantation, treatment with deferoxamine, iron overload, AIDS, intravenous drug use, and malnutrition.2 Infection can be rhinocerebral, pulmonary, cutaneous, gastrointestinal, renal, or disseminated; gastrointestinal infection comprises only 7% of reported cases.3 This report presents a rare case of gastrointestinal mucormycosis following treatment with corticosteroids in the setting of inflammatory bowel disease.