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Mucorales molds can cause an infection known as mucormycosis that is relatively uncommon and occurs predominantly in immunocompromised people, particularly in association with iron-overload states and acidemia. In the spring of 2011, 13 cases of necrotizing soft-tissue mucormycosis were identified among victims of a severe tornado in Joplin, Missouri, prompting an investigation by the CDC and the Missouri Department of Public Health.
All 13 patients had been triaged through a single hospital but were subsequently admitted to 6 different facilities. In this cohort, the median number of tornado-associated soft-tissue injuries per person was 5. At admission, 11 patients had fractures, 5 had penetrating trauma, 5 had rhabdomyolysis, and none wer…