Question
Rhinosporidiosis
Answer
Rhinosporidiosis is a chronic granulomatous infection, most classically affecting the nasal mucosa, caused by Rhinosporidium seeberi — now generally regarded as an aquatic protistan parasite (Mesomycetozoea) rather than a true fungus.
Epidemiology: associated with exposure to stagnant water (bathing in ponds/rivers), particularly common in South Asia including India.
Clinical features: a slow-growing, friable, vascular, polypoid mass in the nasal cavity, causing nasal obstruction and recurrent epistaxis; conjunctival/ocular involvement can also occur.
Laboratory diagnosis: primarily histopathological — biopsy shows large, thick-walled sporangia containing numerous endospores; the organism has never been successfully cultured in vitro.
Treatment: surgical excision with cauterization of the base is the mainstay, since no effective antimicrobial therapy exists; recurrence after incomplete excision is common.