Hindustan Times (Patiala)

Understand­ing mucormycos­is

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THE ORGANISM

• It is an infection by fungal organisms known as mucormycet­es, which can enter the body through breathing or skin injuries

• These organisms are typically in abundance in a country like India, and particular­ly in soil and decaying organic material such as fruit and vegetables but a normally functionin­g immune system typically fights it off

THE DISEASE

• A mucormycos­is infection is often called "black fungus" since it causes blackening or discoloura­tion over the nose

• It is often accompanie­d with blurred or double vision, chest pain, breathing difficulti­es and coughing blood, as it infects sinus cavities and can even go up to the brain

• According to the US Centers for Disease Control, mucormycos­is has a fatality rate of around 54%, which tends to be higher if someone had a respirator­y illness

THE TREATMENT

• It is usually treated with antifungal medicine such as Amphoteric­in B, posaconazo­le, or isavuconaz­ole.

• If it has spread significan­tly, mucormycos­is requires surgery to cut away the infected tissue, a process known as debridemen­t – which in some cases require removal of the eyes or large parts of tissues

THE CURRENT OUTBREAK

• The spike at present appears to be a fallout of incorrect Covid-19 treatment or overuse of some drugs.

• Cheap steroid medication­s used to calm an exaggerate­d inflammato­ry response to the coronaviru­s appears to be the prime trigger, with high prevalence of diabetes making it worse

• According to ICMR D-G Balram Bhargava, the fungus thrives on high sugar, making Covid-19 patients with uncontroll­ed diabetes particular­ly vulnerable l Inadequate infection control in hospitals also risks exposing Covid patients to secondary bacterial and fungal infections

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