Mucormycosis Risk & Prevention

Who gets mucormycosis?

Overall, mucormycosis is rare, but it’s more common among people with weakened immune systems than among people who are otherwise healthy. Certain groups of people are at higher risk for developing mucormycosis,^1–3 including people with:

• Diabetes, especially with diabetic ketoacidosis
• Cancer
• Organ transplant
• Stem cell transplant
• Neutropenia [PDF – 2 pages] (low number of white blood cells)
• Long-term corticosteroid use
• Illicit injection drug use
• Too much iron in the body
• Skin trauma (due to surgery, burns, or other skin injuries)
• Prematurity and low birthweight (for gastrointestinal mucormycosis)

How does someone get mucormycosis?

People get mucormycosis by coming in contact with fungal spores in the environment. For example, the lung or sinus forms of the infection can occur after someone inhales the spores from the air. Mucormycosis can develop on the skin after the fungus enters the skin through a cut, scrape, burn, or other type of skin trauma.

Is mucormycosis contagious?

No. Mucormycosis can’t spread between people or between people and animals.

How can I lower the risk of mucormycosis?

It’s difficult to avoid breathing in fungal spores because the fungi that cause mucormycosis are common in the environment. There is no vaccine to prevent mucormycosis. For people who have weakened immune systems, there may be some ways to lower the chances of developing mucormycosis.

• Protect yourself from the environment.^4,5 It’s important to note that although these actions are recommended, they haven’t been proven to prevent mucormycosis.
  • Try to avoid areas with a lot of dust like construction or excavation sites. If you can’t avoid these areas, wear an N95 respirator (a type of face mask) while you’re there. Click here for more information about respirators.
  • Avoid activities that involve close contact to soil or dust, such as yard work or gardening. If this isn’t possible,
    • Wear shoes, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt when doing outdoor activities such as gardening, yard work, or visiting wooded areas.
    • Wear gloves when handling materials such as soil, moss, or manure.
    • To reduce the chances of developing a skin infection, clean skin injuries well with soap and water, especially if they have been exposed to soil or dust.
• Antifungal medication. If you are at high risk for developing mucormycosis (for example, if you’ve had an organ transplant or a stem cell transplant), your healthcare provider may prescribe medication to prevent mucormycosis and other mold infections.^6,7 Doctors and scientists are still learning about which transplant patients are at highest risk and how to best prevent fungal infections.

For more information about indoor mold, including cleanup and remediation recommendations, please visit CDC’s Basic Facts about Mold webpage.

If you are a healthcare provider or healthcare infection control practitioner, click here for prevention guidelines and other resources.