Tonsillar mucormycosis in an immunocompetent young woman: a case report.
- 1Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
- 2Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
- 3Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Abstract
Mucormycosis predominantly affects immunocompromised individuals. We present a rare case of tonsillar mucormycosis in a previously healthy 33-year-old woman who presented with a persistent sore throat and a necrotic lesion localized to the right tonsillar region. The diagnosis was established histopathologically following therapeutic tonsillectomy. Evaluation of the upper aerodigestive tract showed no demonstrable sinonasal or deep-neck extension. The patient achieved complete recovery following tonsillectomy and sequential antifungal therapy with intravenous liposomal amphotericin B and oral posaconazole. Antecedent dental symptoms were present; however, no dental examination or imaging was available to establish a causal relationship with the tonsillar infection. This case highlights the importance of considering mucormycosis in the differential diagnosis of persistent necrotic tonsillar lesions, even in patients without recognized systemic risk factors, and emphasizes the value of early histopathologic diagnosis and combined surgical and antifungal management.
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BibTeX
@article{haddad2026tonsillar,
title = {{Tonsillar mucormycosis in an immunocompetent young woman: a case report.}},
author = {Mahboubeh Haddad and Zahra Sheidae Mehne and Seyede Fateme Mahmoudi Hashemi and Mehdi Karimi Shahri},
journal = {IDCases},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.idcr.2026.e02809},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42999891},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Tonsillar mucormycosis in an immunocompetent young woman: a case report.
AU - Mahboubeh Haddad
AU - Zahra Sheidae Mehne
AU - Seyede Fateme Mahmoudi Hashemi
AU - Mehdi Karimi Shahri
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - IDCases
DO - 10.1016/j.idcr.2026.e02809
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42999891
AB - Mucormycosis predominantly affects immunocompromised individuals. We present a rare case of tonsillar mucormycosis in a previously healthy 33-year-old woman who presented with a persistent sore throat and a necrotic lesion localized to the right tonsillar region. The diagnosis was established histopathologically following therapeutic tonsillectomy. Evaluation of the upper aerodigestive tract showed no demonstrable sinonasal or deep-neck extension. The patient achieved complete recovery following tonsillectomy and sequential antifungal therapy with intravenous liposomal amphotericin B and oral posaconazole. Antecedent dental symptoms were present; however, no dental examination or imaging was available to establish a causal relationship with the tonsillar infection. This case highlights the importance of considering mucormycosis in the differential diagnosis of persistent necrotic tonsillar lesions, even in patients without recognized systemic risk factors, and emphasizes the value of early histopathologic diagnosis and combined surgical and antifungal management.
SN - 2214-2509
ER -