Gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis masquerading as cancer

Abstract

Gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis is an unusual fungal infection caused by Basidiobolus ranarum, a saprophytic fungus primarily found in soil and decaying vegetables. Basidiobolomycosis typically presents as a chronic subcutaneous swelling and rarely infects the gastrointestinal tract. Thus, the infrequency of gastrointestinal infections, along with nonspecific clinical symptoms, often results in misdiagnosed cases and delays in treatment. In this article, we report the case of a 68-year-old male with gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis masquerading as metastatic cancer. We focus on the use of radiological imaging modalities and histopathological analysis to optimize the diagnosis and treatment of this rare gastrointestinal infection.

Keywords

• Gastrointestinal basidiobolomycosis
• Basidiobolus ranarum
• Computed tomography
• Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon
• Antifungal therapy
• Abdominal pain