Pulmonary mucormycosis due to Rhizopus homothallicus in a kidney transplant recipient complicated by massive hemoptysis: A case report with review of literature.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Medical Microbiology, Jaslok Hospital and Research Center, Peddar road, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
- 2Department of Infectious Diseases, Jaslok Hospital and Research Center, Peddar road, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
- 3Department of Nephrology, Jaslok Hospital and Research Center, Peddar road, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
- 4Respiratory Medicine, Jaslok Hospital and Research Center, Peddar road, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Abstract
Rhizopus homothallicus is a rare homothallic member of the order Mucorales, capable of forming zygospores without a compatible mating partner. Pulmonary mucormycosis due to this species has been reported in limited case series, predominantly from India in recent years. We report a 22-year-old male kidney transplant recipient who presented with bilateral cavitary lung disease three and a half months post-transplantation. Serum galactomannan and beta-D-glucan assays were negative. Fungal culture of both bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial lung biopsy specimens yielded R. homothallicus, identified presumptively by characteristic colony morphology and the presence of self-formed zygospores on lactophenol cotton blue mount, however further molecular identification by internal transcribed spacer sequencing was not performed. Despite initiation of liposomal amphotericin B, the patient developed massive hemoptysis requiring bilateral bronchial artery embolization and ultimately left against medical advice. This case highlights the importance of species-level identification of Rhizopus isolates in immunocompromised hosts and illustrates the fulminant clinical course of pulmonary mucormycosis due to this emerging pathogen. A review of the literature regarding human R. homothallicus infections is also provided to contextualize this rare presentation.
Related
- Plasma microbial cell-free DNA testing for early diagnosis of pulmonary mucormycosis in a kidney transplant recipient
- CFTR variant-associated hereditary pancreatitis complicated by diabetes mellitus: a case report and literature review
- Transhepatic chest tube malposition complicated by delayed hepatic hemorrhage following tube removal: A case report and literature review
- Rapid progression of β-cell dysfunction in a patient with glycogen storage disease type 1a complicated by diabetes: longitudinal assessment by serial OGTTs with a review of the literature
- Case Report: Neonatal ultra-severe hemolytic anemia complicated by pulmonary hypertension induced by compound heterozygous variants in the KLF1 gene and literature review
BibTeX
@article{panda2026pulmonary,
title = {{Pulmonary mucormycosis due to Rhizopus homothallicus in a kidney transplant recipient complicated by massive hemoptysis: A case report with review of literature.}},
author = {Jyoti Prakash Panda and Mala Kaneria and Rushi Deshpande and Jeenam Shah},
journal = {IDCases},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.idcr.2026.e02806},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42960190},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Pulmonary mucormycosis due to Rhizopus homothallicus in a kidney transplant recipient complicated by massive hemoptysis: A case report with review of literature.
AU - Jyoti Prakash Panda
AU - Mala Kaneria
AU - Rushi Deshpande
AU - Jeenam Shah
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - IDCases
DO - 10.1016/j.idcr.2026.e02806
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42960190
AB - Rhizopus homothallicus is a rare homothallic member of the order Mucorales, capable of forming zygospores without a compatible mating partner. Pulmonary mucormycosis due to this species has been reported in limited case series, predominantly from India in recent years. We report a 22-year-old male kidney transplant recipient who presented with bilateral cavitary lung disease three and a half months post-transplantation. Serum galactomannan and beta-D-glucan assays were negative. Fungal culture of both bronchoalveolar lavage and transbronchial lung biopsy specimens yielded R. homothallicus, identified presumptively by characteristic colony morphology and the presence of self-formed zygospores on lactophenol cotton blue mount, however further molecular identification by internal transcribed spacer sequencing was not performed. Despite initiation of liposomal amphotericin B, the patient developed massive hemoptysis requiring bilateral bronchial artery embolization and ultimately left against medical advice. This case highlights the importance of species-level identification of Rhizopus isolates in immunocompromised hosts and illustrates the fulminant clinical course of pulmonary mucormycosis due to this emerging pathogen. A review of the literature regarding human R. homothallicus infections is also provided to contextualize this rare presentation.
SN - 2214-2509
ER -