Coccidioidomycosis and Paracoccidioidomycosis
摘要
Coccidioidomycosis is an invasive mycotic disease, endemic in some regions of the USA. Coccidioides spp. are dimorphic fungi that usually cause asymptomatic or mild infections, but some patients may present chronic and severe forms of the disease. In the oral cavity, the infection more frequently affects the tongue, usually as indurated, painful or asymptomatic ulcers—solitary or multiple—with elevated borders. Paracoccidioidomycosis is a deep fungal infection more frequently diagnosed in Latin America. The disease is caused by inhalation of the dimorphic fungus Paracoccidioides spp., and patients are usually infected in rural and peri-urban environments. Males are more affected than females, with a median age of 51 years. The oral manifestations of the disease present as solitary or multiple “mulberry-like” ulcerations with a moriform appearance, i.e., granular, erythematous, hyperplastic or ulcerated lesions with jagged borders and a thin, hemorrhagic, dotted edge. The gingiva and palate are the most affected regions. Microscopically, both infections result in a granulomatous inflammatory reaction, and the identification of the microorganisms can be done in routine histological analysis, which is facilitated by histological stains like PAS and Grocott-Gomory methenamine silver. Treatment comprises the use of different antifungal compounds.