Actinomucor elegans in human infections: A case report and narrative review of the literature

Actinomucor elegans in human infections: A case report and narrative review of the literature | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Case Report Actinomucor elegans in human infections: A case report and narrative review of the literature Andrea Cosentino, Daniel Vescoli, Wilhelm Berger This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7633607/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 25 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Mycopathologia → Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Introduction Actinomucor elegans is an uncommon and underrecognized cause of invasive mucormycosis. While typically affecting immunocompromised individuals, cases have also emerged in trauma patients. This study presents a new case of cutaneous A. elegans infection and reviews the literature to characterize its clinical presentation, diagnostic challenges, and treatment outcomes. Methods We report a clinical case from our institution and conducted a narrative review of the literature. PubMed and Embase were searched through July 2025 for human cases of A. elegans. Studies were included if they provided clinical details on diagnosis or therapy. Data were extracted on demographics, comorbidities, infection site, diagnostics, treatments, and outcomes. Results Six unique cases were identified. Patients included both immunocompromised individuals and immunocompetent trauma victims. Reported infection sites included pulmonary, rhino-orbital, cutaneous, and disseminated forms. All cases were confirmed microbiologically, mainly through culture and sequencing. Liposomal amphotericin B was the primary antifungal agent, occasionally combined with other agents. Surgical debridement was performed in half the cases. The mortality rate was 50%; survival was associated with early diagnosis and antifungal therapy. Conclusion Actinomucor elegans is a rare but clinically significant mucormycete capable of causing severe infections in high-risk patients. Early recognition, combined microbiological diagnostics, and aggressive antifungal management are critical to improving patient outcomes. Actinomucor elegans mucormycosis invasive fungal infection trauma immunosuppression liposomal amphotericin B review Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 25 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Mycopathologia → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Accepted 29 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 23 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 Dec, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 13 Oct, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 29 Sep, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 29 Sep, 2025 First submitted to journal 16 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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While typically affecting immunocompromised individuals, cases have also emerged in trauma patients. This study presents a new case of cutaneous A. elegans infection and reviews the literature to characterize its clinical presentation, diagnostic challenges, and treatment outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe report a clinical case from our institution and conducted a narrative review of the literature. PubMed and Embase were searched through July 2025 for human cases of A. elegans. Studies were included if they provided clinical details on diagnosis or therapy. Data were extracted on demographics, comorbidities, infection site, diagnostics, treatments, and outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSix unique cases were identified. Patients included both immunocompromised individuals and immunocompetent trauma victims. Reported infection sites included pulmonary, rhino-orbital, cutaneous, and disseminated forms. 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