Parisa Khorasani Esmaili - Department of Pathology , Pathology and Stem Cells Research Center, Afzalipour Medical School, Kerman Medical University, Kerman, Iran
Shahriar Dabiri - Department of Pathology , Pathology and Stem Cells Research Center, Afzalipour Medical School, Kerman Medical University, Kerman, Iran
Tooraj Reza Mirshekari - Department of Pathology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
Fatemeh Nabipour - Department of Pathology, Shafa Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
Ayeh Shamsadini - Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Shafa Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
Hadi Eslami - Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
Mohammad Ali Damghani - Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Shafa Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman, Iran
Ali Asghar Arabi - Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Shafa Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman, Iran
Maryam Amizadeh - Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Shafa Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman, Iran
Fatemeh Fani - Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Shafa Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman, Iran
Navid Gharaei - Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head & Neck Surgery, Shafa Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Science, Kerman, Iran
Shiva Pooradli - Clinical Research Development Unit, Shafa Hospital, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

Background & Objective: Mucormycosis (also called black fungus) is an opportunistic serious fungal infection caused by mucormycetes. It can occur in diabetes mellitus patients and other immunosuppressive conditions with recent predisposing factors such as maxillofacial surgery and corticosteroid usage.Methods: In this study, ۱۴ patients were referred to the otorhinolaryngology or ophthalmology ward of Shafa Hospital (Kerman, Iran) with primary symptoms of nasal fullness and Facial nerve dysfunction; they were admitted to the hospital to rule out the fungal infection. An endoscopic biopsy was taken from facial sinuses or orbit, and a microscopic evaluation was performed using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and periodic acid–Schiff (PAS) staining methods to rule out mucormycosis.Results: In the histopathological examination, broad-based nonseptate branching fungal hyphae were found in nasal sinuses through the endoscopic biopsy. Most of the patients had diabetes mellitus with a primary symptom of facial nerve palsy; also, most of them received corticosteroids (intravenous [IV] or intramuscular [IM] injection). All patients have recently been infected with COVID-۱۹ (less than ۱ month ago).Conclusion: COVID-۱۹ infection could play a predisposing factor for many opportunistic infections, such as fungal elements); thus, the physician should be aware of the dose and day of corticosteroid therapy to prevent these infections.

Black fungal, COVID-۱۹, Iran, Mucormycosis, Rhinocerebral