BASIDIOBOLOMYCOSIS - AN UNUSUAL FUNGAL INFECTION MIMICKING INFLAMMATORY BOWEL-DISEASE

Basidiobolus ranarum is a fungus belonging to the Entomophthoraceae fa mily and is mainly associated with subcutaneous soft tissue infection. The disease is usually characterized by an insidious onset of massive induration of the subcutaneous tissue involving the limbs, trunk, or buttocks, Most cases of basidiobolomycosis have been reported from Afr ica, South America, and tropical Asia, Visceral involvement is extreme ly rare, Only 4 cases with involvement of the gastrointestinal tract, including 1 fatal case originating in the United States, have been wel l documented in the English-language literature. This case report desc ribes the first successfully treated patient residing in the United St ates who had B. ranarum infection involving the gastrointestinal tract .