Abstract
Background and aim
Mucormycosis is a life-threatening invasive fungal infection. This study aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics of patients with hematologic malignancies complicated with mucormycosis.
Methods
This retrospective study investigated the clinical characteristics, epidemiological features, treatment, and prognosis of 46 patients with hematological diseases and Mucor infection as indicated by mNGS from August 28, 2020 to September 11, 2023. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) refers to the application of high-throughput sequencing technology for the comprehensive analysis of nucleic acid content in patient samples, facilitating the detection and characterization of microbial DNA and/or RNA, and then comparing and analyzing the results with an information database to determine the types of pathogenic microorganisms present in the sample.
Results
The median age of admission for the included patients was 49 years (9–78). Multivariate analysis identified age over 60 years (p = 0.006
Conclusion
Patients with hematologic malignancies benefit greatly from early diagnosis and treatment when suspected of Mucor infection. mNGS is an important supplementary method for early diagnosis of Mucor infection. Moderated use of corticosteroids, reducing the duration of neutropenia, and enhancing autologous immune function are important measures to reduce patient mortality rate.