biostudies-literatureUnknown43(6)Khapuinamai AHyderabad Eye Research Foundation<h4>Purpose</h4>Mucormycosis is a severe fungal infection caused by species of the order Mucorales. Early and accurate diagnosis is a prerequisite in the management of the disease. In the present study, we evaluated and compared two PCR-based techniques for the diagnosis and identification of mucormycosis in patients with rhino-orbital mucormycosis (ROM) post-COVID-19.<h4>Methods</h4>Diagnosed clinically and radiologically, 25 patients of ROM were included in the study and endoscopically or blind collected nasal swabs or orbital tissues were submitted for microbiological evaluation (direct microscopy + culture) and PCR using primers targeting two different loci (ITS and 28S rDNA region) for diagnosis. All PCR products were further processed for species identification using Sanger sequencing whenever possible.<h4>Result</h4>Of the 25 samples included in the study, 16 samples were positive for presence of fungal filaments by Smear suggestive of Mucorales sp., but only 7/25 grew in culture. ITS-based PCR was able to identify mucormycosis in 7/25 (28%) samples and 28S rDNA PCR showed positivity for 19/25 (76%) samples. Rhizopus oryzae was found to be the predominant species in our study. The sensitivity and specificity of 28S rDNA PCR compared to culture were found to be 85.71% and 27.78%, respectively, while for ITS-based PCR, they were 42.86% and 77.78%, respectively.<h4>Conclusions</h4>28S rDNA-based PCR is a reliable and sensitive method for early diagnosis of mucormycosis. Molecular techniques have shown a promising future to provide quick and effective treatment by accurately identifying the aetiologic agent.International ophthalmology1803-1810https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC9684940biostudies-literatureMolecular diagnosis of rhino-orbital mucormycosis in a COVID-19 setting.PMC9684940Joseph JSharma SKhapuinamai AKapoor AGDave TVfalseMolecular diagnosis of rhino-orbital mucormycosis in a COVID-19 setting.<h4>Purpose</h4>Mucormycosis is a severe fungal infection caused by species of the order Mucorales. Early and accurate diagnosis is a prerequisite in the management of the disease. In the present study, we evaluated and compared two PCR-based techniques for the diagnosis and identification of mucormycosis in patients with rhino-orbital mucormycosis (ROM) post-COVID-19.<h4>Methods</h4>Diagnosed clinically and radiologically, 25 patients of ROM were included in the study and endoscopically or blind collected nasal swabs or orbital tissues were submitted for microbiological evaluation (direct microscopy + culture) and PCR using primers targeting two different loci (ITS and 28S rDNA region) for diagnosis. All PCR products were further processed for species identification using Sanger sequencing whenever possible.<h4>Result</h4>Of the 25 samples included in the study, 16 samples were positive for presence of fungal filaments by Smear suggestive of Mucorales sp., but only 7/25 grew in culture. ITS-based PCR was able to identify mucormycosis in 7/25 (28%) samples and 28S rDNA PCR showed positivity for 19/25 (76%) samples. Rhizopus oryzae was found to be the predominant species in our study. The sensitivity and specificity of 28S rDNA PCR compared to culture were found to be 85.71% and 27.78%, respectively, while for ITS-based PCR, they were 42.86% and 77.78%, respectively.<h4>Conclusions</h4>28S rDNA-based PCR is a reliable and sensitive method for early diagnosis of mucormycosis. Molecular techniques have shown a promising future to provide quick and effective treatment by accurately identifying the aetiologic agent.2023-01-01T00:00:00Z2023 Jun2025-04-19T22:47:16.177Z2025-04-19T22:47:16.177ZS-EPMC96849403641485210.1007/s10792-022-02577-y