Abstract

Mucormycosis is an infection that can manifest in many forms and is an emerging complication in several health care procedures. Portals of entry can be attributed to surgical procedures and medical devices such as chest tubes; however, the skin and gastrointestinal tract are the most common sites of infection and outbreaks have been traced to adhesive bandages, wooden tongue depressors and ostomy bags. This article describes the presentation, work-up, diagnosis and treatment of an East Asian immigrant who was admitted with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.Cavitary lung processes pose a formidable diagnostic challenge. Causes vary widely and include cavitary pneumonia, vasculitis and malignancy. In some cases, patient history and basic work-up may yield a diagnosis, but in others, an extensive work-up, including tissue biopsy, may be necessary to establish the cause. The authors present a case of cavitary pneumonia that complicated an open lung biopsy. It developed in the hospital and was caused by mucormycosis, a potential emerging infection causing health care-associated infections.