68-year-old chandu is a diabetic and presented with black, foul, smelling discharge from the nose. Examination revealed blackish discoloration of the inferior turbinate. The diagnosis is -

Mucormycosis is a fungal infection of the nose and paranasal sinuses which may prove rapidly fatal if untreated. It is seen in uncontrolled diabetics or in those taking immunosuppressive drugs. From the nose and sinuses, the infection can spread to orbit, cribriform plate, meninges and brain. The rapid destruction associated with the disease is due to the affinity of the fungus to invade the arteries and cause endothelial damage and thrombus. It presents as black necrotic mass filling the nasal cavity and eroding the septum and hard palate.