Entomophthoromycotina

• 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

Epidemiology

• Basidiobolus lives in the intestines of many amphibians i.e. frogs, toads, salamanders, often in their feces as well as decaying fruits and soil. Tropical and subtropical but expanding into US.
• Conidiobolus 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.