Calling Mucormycosis ‘Black Fungus’ is a misnomer, says Dr Venkatesh Prajna
‘Mucormycosis is not a new disease. It has been present from time immemorial.’
Mucormycosis is not a new illness. 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 Puucho, he says, Mucor is not a black fungus.
Is Mucormycosis a black fungus?
Mucormycosis is sometimes called the ‘Black fungus’. This is a misnomer. Mucor is not a black fungus. Black fungus typically referred to as as Dematecious fungi, or pigmented fungi are a utterly totally different household. Mucor doesn’t belong to the black fungus household.
Why is Mucormycosis referred to as as Black fungus an infection?
It is so referred to as as a result of it causes tissue necrosis. Any necrosed decomposed tissue produces eschar and that is colored black. So, technically, Mucor is not a black fungus, however causes the tissue affected to necrose and switch into black.
Is Mucormycosis a new illness?
Mucormycosis is not a new illness. It has been current from time immemorial. It was at all times reported from people who find themselves immunocompromised (like folks after chemotherapy, folks with excessive diabetes with diabetic ketoacidosis and many others ). It is an previous illness, however the incidence has elevated throughout Covid occasions.
Is Mucormycosis current extra within the Covid ward or hospitals?
It is current in every single place across the surroundings. It is not current completely solely in Covid wards or hospitals. It is current in your own home, in your backyard, on the highway, within the vegetation and many others. Any particular person can not escape inhaling Mucor. Our regular protector cells in our blood just like the WBCs and different immune cells simply maintain the Mucor and are in a position to neutralise them fairly simply.
Does Mucor unfold to others like Covid ?
Mucor doesn’t unfold from one affected person to an attender. It doesn’t have an effect on regular people whose immunity is excessive. Contrary to what is generally believed, Mucor is a low virulence fungus. It is thought-about to be an opportunistic pathogen, ie, it impacts folks solely with altered immunity.
Is Mucor actually a risk to mankind?
During these occasions, opportunistic fungi like Mucor or Candida can escape the immune surveillance mechanism and arrange the an infection. These fungi begin by forming a small colony, which if unchallenged by the immune mechanisms turns into slowly bigger and bigger until it occupies a great amount of area. It is one thing like a particular person occupying a plot of land illegally and if not evicted, slowly brings in family and friends and makes it into his personal territory. So, the purpose to know is that so long as one has a good immune system, mucor is not a drawback.
Who are the folks at extra threat?
Severely diabetic sufferers present process therapy for Covid ought to get their diabetes examined periodically. It has been discovered that many sufferers weren’t conscious that that they had diabetes. It has additionally been famous that in Covid, the illness additionally causes alteration within the metabolism of glucose. Hence, strict management of Diabetes is crucial.
What are the steps in therapy?
If the ENT surgeon has confirmed the prognosis of Mucor, then it is higher to scrub up the sinuses by surgical procedure and to debride the fungus as a lot as attainable. This surgical therapy could be supplemented with injection of Liposomal Amphotericin B. This is the drug of selection. After 2-3 weeks of therapy, then different antifungal medication like Posaconazole could be supplemented.
Fungal an infection takes time to heal and therefore the complete therapy can take months.
What are the signs of the affected person?
Usually, Mucor presents three to 4 weeks after Covid. The signs are ache in a single aspect of the face together with swelling. There will likely be ache within the tooth space, nasal discharge, prominence of eyeball and double imaginative and prescient. It is to be famous that every one redness and ache within the eye usually are not because of Mucor. It impacts solely a tiny proportion of the sufferers affected by Covid. We have additionally famous that folks have change into unduly involved.