FLUCONAZOLE IN THE TREATMENT OF PULMONARY ZYGOMYCOSIS

Pulmonary zygomycosis is an aggressive, often terminal infection that may be found in patients who are immunocompromised as a result of cyto toxic chemotherapy. Conventional treatment is by surgical debridement augmented with high-dose intravenous amphotericin B, but: even with su ch treatment the course is usually fulminant with a high mortality rat e. Recent work has suggested that the new antifungal triazole, flucona zole, may be of benefit in treating zygomycete infection. The case of a 15-year-old boy who developed pulmonary zygomycosis while on chemoth erapy for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, and who survived for 11 month s with oral fluconazole therapy alone, is supportive of this proposal.