Skiada A, Petrikkos G.
Clin Microbiol Infect 2009;15:41–5.
This review summarizes the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, and outcome of cutaneous zygomycosis. Although most patients have underlying comorbidities, the infection can also affect immunocompetent patients. In most cases, the organism is directly inoculated into a traumatic wound. Adjunctive surgical debridement is crucial for improving the outcome of these infections.
Cutaneous involvement is the third most common manifestation of zygomycosis in adults and the most common manifestation in children. The present authors performed a literature search for cases of cutaneous zygomycosis reported between 2004 and 2008. A total of 78 culture- or histology-proven cases were identified. Most patients had underlying comorbidities, such as hematological malignancies (23%), diabetes mellitus (13%), and solid-organ transplantation (6%), although many other patients were immunocompetent (40%).