Mucormycosis is not a new disease. It has been there from time immemorial, says Dr.. Venkatesh Prajna , chief, Department of Medical Education, Aravind Eye Hospitals, Madurai. In an interview with The Hindu ,’ he says, mucor is not a black fungus.
Is mucormycosis a black fungus?
Dr. Prajna: Mucormycosis is often referred to as ‘Black fungus’. This is a misnomer. Mucor is not black fungus. Black fungus, often called as Dematecious fungi or pigmented fungi, are a completely different family. Mucor does not belong to the black fungus family.
Why is mucormycosis called black fungus infection?
It is so called because it causes tissue necrosis. Any necrosed decomposed tissue produces eschar and that is coloured black. So, technically, Mucor is not a black fungus, but causes the tissue affected by necrose turn black.
Is mucormycosis a new disease?
Mucormycosis is not a new disease. It has been present from time immemorial. It is always reported from people who are immunocompromised (like people after chemotherapy, people with high diabetes with diabetic ketoacidosis etc ). It is an old disease, but the incidence has increased duringCOVID-19 times.
Is mucormycosis present more in the Covid ward or hospitals?
It is present everywhere in the environment. It is not present exclusively only in COVID-19 wards or hospitals. It is present in your house, in your garden, on the road, in the plants etc. No person can escape inhaling Mucor. Our normal protector cells in our blood like the WBCs and other immune cells easily take care of the Mucor and are able to neutralise them quite easily.
Does Mucor spread to others like Covid ?
Mucor does not spread from one patient to an attender. It does not affect normal individuals whose immunity is high. Contrary to what is commonly believed, Mucor is a low virulence fungus. It is considered to be an opportunistic pathogen, ie, it affects people only with altered immunity.
Is Mucor really a threat to mankind?
During these times, opportunistic fungi like Mucor or Candida can escape the immune surveillance mechanism and set up the infection. These fungi start by forming a small colony, which, if unchallenged by the immune mechanisms, becomes slowly larger and larger till it occupies a large amount of space. It is something like a person occupying a plot of land illegally and, if not evicted, slowly brings in friends and family and makes it into his own territory. So, the point to understand is that as long as one has a good immune system, mucor is not a problem.
Who are the people at more risk?
Severely diabetic patients undergoing treatment for COVID-19 should get their diabetes tested periodically. It has been found that many patients were not aware that they had diabetes. It has also been noted that during COVID-19, the disease also causes alteration in the metabolism of glucose. Hence, strict control of diabetes is important.
What are the steps in treatment?
If the ENT surgeon has confirmed the diagnosis of Mucor, then it is better to clean up the sinuses by surgery and to debride the fungus as much as possible. This surgical treatment can be supplemented with injection of Liposomal Amphotericin B. This is the drug of choice. After 2-3 weeks of treatment, then other antifungal drugs like Posaconazole can be supplemented. Fungal infection takes time to heal and, hence, the full treatment can take months.
What are the symptoms of the patient?
Usually, Mucor presents three to four weeks after COVID-19. The symptoms are pain on one side of the face along with swelling. There will be pain in the tooth area, nasal discharge, prominence of eyeball and double vision. It is to be noted that all redness and pain in the eye are not due to Mucor. It affects only a tiny percentage of patients affected by COVID-19. We have also noted that people have become unduly concerned.
