Rhinosporidiosis

**Definition:** Rhinosporidiosis is a chronic, usually painless localised infection of the mucous membranes. Formerly believed to be a fungus, the causative agent, Rhinosporidium seeberi, has also never been cultured. With 18S rDNA sequencing, this organism has been shown to be a protistan parasite. Rhinosporidiosis occurs worldwide, and the greatest numbers of cases are found in southern India and Sri Lanka.