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Mucormycosis is a devastating infection with limited treatment options and >50% mortality. Patients with severe immunocompromise and underlying metabolic abnormalities — including hyperglycemia, acidosis, and iron overload — are particularly susceptible. Here, researchers examined the role of one such abnormality, hypoalbuminemia, through a series of clinical, animal, and laboratory studies.
In a relatively small clinical study of patients with hematologic malignancies, those who developed pulmonary mucormycosis had lower serum albumin levels than matched controls with bacterial or aspergillus pneumonia. Lower albumin levels were associated with significantly lower survival rates.
Serum samples from healthy volunteers demons…