Zygomycetes


Microbiology

Order: Mucorales (see Mucormycosis, [[Mucormycosis]])

  • General Comments
    • Usually cause opportunistic human infection in immunocompromised hosts (rarely cause disease in immunocompetent hosts)
  • Absidia
  • Apophysomyces
  • Cunninghamella
  • Cokeromyces
  • Mortierella
  • Mucor
  • Rhizomucor
  • Rhizopus
  • Saksenaea
  • Syncephalastrum

Order: Entomophthorales

  • General Comments
    • Usually cause human infection in immunocompetent hosts (unusually cause disease in immunocompromised hosts)
    • Human infections occur predominantly in tropical regions
    • Transmission occurs by implantation of spores via minor trauma (insect bites, etc) or by inhalation of spores into the sinuses
    • Usually do not invade blood vessels and rarely disseminate
  • Basidiobolus: infection occurs as a subcutaneous mycosis of the trunk and extremities
  • Conidiobolus: infects mucocutaneous sites to produce sinusitis disease

References