Mucormycosis – Black Fungus

May 11, 2021Articles1

Mucormycosis- Black fungus is a very rare but serious fungal infection. It’s caused by exposure to mucor mould which is commonly found in soil, plants, manure and decaying fruits and vegetables. It is ubiquitous and found in soil and air and even in the nose and mucus of healthy people.

Mucormycosis- Black fungus affects the sinuses, the brain and the lungs and can be life threatening in diabetic or severely immunocompromised individuals, such as cancer patients or people with HIV/AIDS.
Doctors believe mucormycosis, which has an overall mortality rate of 50%, may be being triggered by the use of steroids, a life-saving treatment for severe and critically ill COVID -19 patients.

Symptoms –

• Sinusitis- nasal blockade or congestion, nasal discharge (Blackish/ bloody)
• Local pain on the cheek bone, one-sided facial pain, numbness or swelling
• Fever
• Black patches of skin around the nose
• Loosening of teeth, jaw involvement
• Toothache
• Thrombosis, necrosis, skin lesion
• Chest pain, pleural effusion, worsening of respiratory symptoms
• Swelling and pain in the eye
• Drooping of eyelids
• Blurred vision
• finally loss of vision

Causes-

Mucormycosis- Black fungus is caused by a group of moulds known as mucormycetes present naturally in the environment. It mainly affects people who are on medication for health problems that reduces their ability to fight environmental pathogens.
Steroids reduce inflammation in the lungs for COVID-19 and appear to help stop some of the damage that can happen when the body’s immune system goes into overdrive to fight off coronavirus. But they also reduce immunity and push up blood sugar levels in both diabetics and non-diabetic COVID-19 patients.
Risk factors –

Following groups of people are more vulnerable to black fungus disease than others-
• Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
• Immunosuppression by steroids
• Prolonged ICU stay
• Comorbidities like post transplant/malignancy, voriconazole therapy
Diagnosis –
It depends on the location of the suspected infection. A sample of fluid from your respiratory may be collected for testing in the lab, otherwise a tissue biopsy or a CT scan of your lungs, sinuses etc. may be conducted.
Treatment-
An anti-fungal intravenous injection Amphotericin B has to be administered every day for up to 8 weeks is the only drug effective against the disease.Medical treatment includes installing peripherally inserted central catheter, maintaining adequate systemic hydration, infusion of normal saline intravenously before Amphotericin B infusion.
In some cases, it can require surgery, it can lead to eventual loss of the upper jaw and sometimes even an eye.
Life after surgery for mucormycosis –
Mucormycosis can lead to loss of the upper jaw and sometimes even the eye.
Prevention –
Experts advise following precautions to prevent such a serious fungal infection –
• Wear masks if you are visiting dusty construction sites
• Wear shoes, long trousers, long sleeved shirts and gloves while handling soil (gardening), moss or manure

• Change or wash your masks on daily basis as humidity of masks is also a reason of growing fungus

      ° Ashwagandha-

      ° Giloy –

      ° Mulethi –

• Ayurvedic therapy such as
      ° Nasya karma-

told under Panchakarma can also help to prevent that black fungus grow deadly.

For more information on COVID -19, please visit our website www.santripty.com