Neonatal Acute Liver Failure Associated with Angioinvasive Hepatic Zygomycosis.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal acute liver failure (NALF) is often a fatal condition. Zygomycosis is a fungal infection that is often fatal in both adults and infants. Only a few cases of hepatic zygomycosis are reported in the literature and they are invariably associated with immunosuppression.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Post-mortem liver biopsy from a 14-day old neonate demonstrated confluent panacinar necrosis with angioinvasive zygomycosis. The limited work-up could not rule out an underlying immunodeficiency.

CONCLUSION: Angioinvasive hepatic zygomycosis can present in the neonatal period as NALF.