Isolated pleural mucormycosis in an immunocompetent patient: a case report

Abstract

Introduction: Pulmonary mucormycosis is an uncommon, difficult-to-diagnose disease with currently no suitable treatments. It is associated with hematological malignancies, diabetes, and immunosuppression. Case presentation: We report a 16-year-old boy who developed pleural mucormycosis for unknown reasons. The patient presented to our hospital because of fever, chills, weakness, lethargy, loss of appetite, pleuritic chest pain, and shortness of breath. Histopathological testing ultimately diagnosed mucormycosis. Discussion: Pulmonary mucormycosis is a potentially fatal infection with a challenging clinical presentation that requires prompt diagnosis. Diagnosis of pleural mucormycosis was verified by histopathological analysis of pleural fluid and pleural tissue biopsy. Conclusion: This study emphasizes the relevance of histological examination in detecting mucormycosis, which will aid in early management by highlighting the difficulty of diagnosis.