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Journal of Fungi
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29 November 2025

The Unnoticed Threat: Clinical Characteristics, Risk Factors, and Outcome of Mucormycosis in Solid Organ Transplantation

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and
1
Unit of Infectious Diseases, “12 de Octubre” University Hospital, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital “12 de Octubre” (imas12), 28041 Madrid, Spain
2
Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28037 Madrid, Spain
3
School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
J. Fungi2025, 11(12), 853;https://doi.org/10.3390/jof11120853 
(registering DOI)
This article belongs to the Special Issue Mycological Research in Spain

Abstract

Mucormycosis is an uncommon but life-threatening invasive fungal infection caused by molds of the order Mucorales, whose incidence has increased among solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients in recent years. Profound immunosuppression (particularly high-dose corticosteroids), T-cell-depleting therapies, diabetes mellitus, and previous episodes of graft rejection are the main predisposing conditions. This narrative review summarizes the current evidence on epidemiology, pathogenesis, risk factors, clinical presentation, diagnostic strategies, and treatment outcomes of mucormycosis in the SOT population. Pulmonary and rhino-orbital-cerebral infections are the predominant clinical forms, often characterized by rapid angioinvasive progression and mortality rates exceeding 45%. Early diagnosis remains challenging due to nonspecific clinical manifestations and the limited sensitivity of conventional diagnostic tools, although molecular techniques such as the detection of circulating Mucorales DNA in blood and metagenomic next-generation sequencing are promising. Liposomal amphotericin B remains the first-line therapy, ideally associated to surgical debridement and reduction in immunosuppression, while broad-spectrum triazoles (isavuconazole and posaconazole) represent alternative or salvage options. Despite recent advances in diagnostic methods and antifungal therapy, the prognosis of post-transplant mucormycosis remains poor, underscoring the need for multidisciplinary management and collaborative studies to inform the clinical management in this high-risk population.

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