- Cutaneous infection caused by Basidiobolus and Conidiobolus
Background
Microbiology
- Caused by Basidiobolus ranarum, which leads to subcutaneous zygomycosis, or Conidiobolus coronatus, which causes chronic rhinofacial zygomycosis and is more common in India, Asia, and Saudi Arabia.
Diagnosis
- Needs tissue and culture for diagnosis
Culture
- On KOH-Calcofluor, shows broad, thin-walled and pauci-septate or aseptate fungus
- Rapid-growing in culture
- Conidiobolus can have “beaked” shape on spores, with a spore that has secondary spores attached to it
- Basidiobolus also has spores with a beak.
Biopsy
- Strong eosinophilic reaction in tissue histopathology.