Mucormycosis Necrotizing Soft Tissue Infection: A Case Report of Fungal Infection Following a High-Speed Motorcycle Accident

Mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection characterized by rapidly progressing infarction and necrosis of host tissue, frequently resulting in death. It is most well-known for causing a devastating rhinocerebral infection, however, cutaneous mucormycosis has been documented. While this opportunistic infection generally affects immunocompromised individuals or patients with uncontrolled diabetes, mucormycosis can also present following traumatic injuries. Infection following motor vehicle accidents accounts for as little as 3% of traumatic cutaneous mucormycosis cases, however, it can have devastating consequences. In this report, we present a case of a 54-year-old male who acquired cutaneous mucormycosis following a motorcycle accident. The patient was treated for multiple traumatic orthopedic injuries and remained intubated in the ICU for several days due to his critical condition. Shortly after extubation on hospital day five, lower extremity ischemia and necrosis began to develop as a result of poor tissue perfusion. Extensive serial debridements were performed and empiric IV antibiotics were initiated for presumptive bacterial necrotizing soft tissue infection. Necrosis continued to rapidly progress despite intervention, and eventually, care was withdrawn. We provide a discussion of this case to highlight the importance of including rare fungal infections in the differential diagnosis early in the clinical course to mitigate fatal complications.