Cutaneous mucormycosis in a heart transplant patient associated with a peripheral catheter.

The first known case of an intravascular catheter-related primary cutaneous mucormycosis in a heart transplant patient is reported. The patient had corticosteroid-induced hyperglycemia and experienced an acute tissue rejection episode. A necrotic lesion appeared around the insertion site of a peripheral venous catheter. A biopsy revealed typical mucorales hyphae. The lesion continued to spread during the following 24 hours and necessitated amputation of the forearm. The organism was identified as a Mucor species.