Chronic invasive rhinosinusitis by Conidiobolus coronatus,an emerging microorganism

Fungi from the Conidiobolus genus have been implicated in the development of chronic invasive fungal rhinosinusitis, mainly in tropical countries. The mycosis associated to these fungi may cause irreversible facial deformities and is potentially fatal. The authors present the first case of a chronic invasive fungal rhinosinusitis due to Conidiobolus coronatus diagnosed in a 66-year-old Caucasian male patient, living in Portugal without any travels abroad and complaining of progressive refractory nasal obstruction, facial pain and anosmia. Upon the culture of samples collected during sinus endoscopic surgery, colonies that presented a macroscopic aspect remembering wax were detected. The microscopic evaluation allowed the observation of simple conidiophores forming spherical conidia, and of conidiophores that presented hair-like appendages. Together, these characteristics allowed the identification of the fungi as a Conidiobolus, which was confirmed upon the DNA sequencing. The authors emphasised the role of this fungi as an emergent microorganism as well as the difficulties associated to the diagnosis and treatment.