Zygomycosis

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  • Also known as mucormycosis, hyphomycosis and phycomycosis
  • Caused by strains of Mucor, Absidia, Rhizopus and Mortierella
    • Mucor circinelloides(rare), Rhizomucor pusillus and R. meihi
    • Absidia corymbifera often causes zygomycosis in cattle and pigs
    • Rhizopus arrhizus, R. microsporus and R. rhizopodormis
    • Mortierella wolfi implicated in bovine abortion (mycotic placentitis), M. hygrophila in fowl and M.polycephala in cattle
  • Occurs widely in nature
  • Infection is by inhalation and ingestion


  • Granulomatous lesions which can ulcerate
  • Mostly localised lesions but can be generalised
  • Pigs
    • Mediastinal and submandibular lymph nodes lesions
    • Embolic tumours in the liver and lungs
    • Can also be present in gastric ulcers
  • Horses, dogs, cats, sheep, mink, guinea-pigs and mice can also be infected
  • Microscopically:
    • Fragments of non-septate hyphae which are branched and coarse
    • Rhizomucor produce a thick, grey mycelium and have short, black, spherical sporangia
    • Mucor produce thick, colourless mycelium with no rhizoids. Globose spoangia with small spores are present and sporagiospores are simple or branched.
    • Absidia resemble Rhizopus grossly
    • Mortierella produce white, velvet colonies on Sabouraud's Dextrose and Blood agar
  • Grows on Sabauraud's Dextrose agar
    • Common contaminants
  • Treatment is with Amphotericin B
    • Surgery is also an option in treatment
  • Also called phycomycosis, mucormycosis
  • In horses due to Basidiobolus haptosporus
  • Pythiosis in horses and dogs is similar (caused by Pythium sp.
  • In warm, humid environments
  • Grossly:
    • Lesions on head, limbs, ventral body
    • In dogs also dorsolumbar region
    • Yellow, rough, necrotic tissue
  • Micospocically:
    • Hyphae ingranulomatou tissue
    • Many eosinophils

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Zygomycosis Flashcards