Everything About Black Fungus (Mucormycosis) Symptoms Prevention

 

What is mucormycosis?

Mucormycosis (previously called zygomycosis) is a rare fungal infection caused by molds called mucormycetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These molds exist in environments all around us, particularly in soil, says Stephen Gluckman, M.D., an infectious disease expert and medical director of Penn Global Medicine. We breathe them in via fungal spores in the air; the infection often starts in the nose before spreading to the eyes and brain.

Many people come into contact with mucormycetes but only a rare few develop mucormycosis. “Most of us never get sick with it,” Dr. Gluckman explains. “It usually requires some other health or immune problem.”

Indeed, the most at-risk groups include people with: diabetes (especially diabetic ketoacidosis), cancer, organ transplants, and those who have used corticosteroids long-term, according to the CDC. “Essentially, it’s the coming together of an aggressive mold in a very immunocompromised host,” explains Abinash Virk, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

Approximately three out of every 1 million people in the United States develop mucormycosis each year, per a 2019 meta-analysis of global cases. Its domestic all-cause mortality rate is 54%, according to a 2005 review, the most recent data cited by the CDC.

Infections must be treated with prescription antifungal medicine. The standard treatment is amphotericin B, which Dr. Gluckman calls “a pretty toxic drug,” but one that’s necessary to minimize the fungus’ spread. Surgery is often required; it’s estimated that 75 people in India have had an eye removed to save their lives.

What are the symptoms of mucormycosis?

The symptoms of “black fungus” vary depending on where it takes root, the CDC explains. The sinuses and brain, the lungs, the skin, and the gut can all become infected.

Symptoms of mucormycosis in the sinuses and brain may include:

• One-sided facial swelling

• Headache

• Nasal or sinus congestion

• Black lesions on nasal bridge or upper inside of mouth that quickly become more severe

• Fever

• Cough

• Chest pain

• Shortness of breath

• Blisters or ulcers

• Black skin around the infection

Symptoms of mucormycosis in the gastrointestinal tract:

   Pain

   Warmth

   Excessive redness

   Swelling

   Abdominal pain

   Nausea and vomiting

   Gastrointestinal bleeding

Prevention :

To prevent black fungus infection in Covid-19 patients doctors suggest better control of the sugar levels during COVID with or without steroids, judicious use of steroids observing correct timing, correct dose and correct duration, use of clean or sterile water for humidifiers during the oxygen therapy.

People have also been urged to use masks while visiting dusty construction sites, wear shoes, long trousers, long sleeve shirts, and gloves while handling garden soil, moss or manure, maintain personal hygiene and seek immediate medical attention in case they develop any of the abovementioned symptoms.

“Steroid use has become much more in second Covid wave, and steroids given when not indicated in mild or early disease can cause a secondary infection. Those given high dose of steroids when not indicated can lead to high blood sugar levels and a high chance of mucormycosis," Guleria further said.