What is the mucormycosis black fungus that attacks Covid-19 patients?

Mucormycosis is a fulminant opportunistic fungal infection caused by a fungus that belongs to the Mocoraceae family, the order Mucorales, and the Zygomicetes class. This black fungus is common in patients with diabetes mellitus, organ transplantation, neutropenia, and cancer. Even today, this dark fungus infection attacks many Covid-19 patients.

Actually, mucormycosis is a very rare case. A study in France wrote that the incidence of mucormycosis in the general population is 1.2 per one million people per year.

Meanwhile, studies in Spain and California reported the incidence of mucormycosis fungus ranging from 0.4 to 1.7 cases per one million population per year. The prevalence based on postmortem examination shows a 10-50 times lower incidence of mucormycosis (1-5 cases / 10000 autopsies) compared to Aspergillosis and Candidiasis.

Mucormycosis is highly invasive with a mortality of up to 40% despite adequate treatment. Based on this, the authors feel the need to increase knowledge about mucormycosis as learning material in clinical practice.

As a result of excess steroid consumption

In order to treat patients suffering from Covid-19, many Indians have taken steroids. Unfortunately, taking steroids for a long time has even made Indians get new cases, namely black fungus.

Mucormycosis black fungus infection Covid-19

Black fungus infection or mucormycosis attacks Covid-19 patients in the midst of a worrying second wave of the corona virus (Covid-19) in India. However, the Indian government has yet to determine mucormycosis as an epidemic. Monalisa Sahu, an infectious disease doctor at Hyderabad-based Yashoda Hospitals, said that dark fungus disease can appear as early as eight to 10 days after a person is detected with Covid-19. In fact, some patients reported black fungus infection on their body for up to 60 days after that. Quoted from Quartz India, according to Sahu, black fungus infection is not much different from ordinary sinusitis infection. There is a peculiarity of this disease, especially rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis in the nose, eyes and throat, namely nasal congestion, black or bloody nasal discharge, facial pain, numbness, or swelling, headache or pain in the eye.
Black fungus infection or mucormycosis attacks Covid-19 patients in the midst of a worrying second wave of the corona virus (Covid-19) in India. However, the Indian government has yet to determine mucormycosis as an epidemic.

Monalisa Sahu, an infectious disease doctor at Hyderabad-based Yashoda Hospitals, said that dark fungus disease can appear as early as eight to 10 days after a person is detected with Covid-19. In fact, some patients reported black fungus infection on their body for up to 60 days after that.

Quoted from Quartz India, according to Sahu, black fungus infection is not much different from ordinary sinusitis infection. There is a peculiarity of this disease, especially rhino-orbito-cerebral mucormycosis in the nose, eyes and throat, namely nasal congestion, black or bloody nasal discharge, facial pain, numbness, or swelling, headache or pain in the eye.

In addition, the sufferers also experienced toothaches, teeth dislodged by themselves, blurred vision, tingling sensation in the face, fever, and black skin lesions.

There are also black fungus patients who show symptoms in the lungs with features of fever, cough, chest pain, blood in the sputum after coughing, and worsening respiratory symptoms.

"Doctors recommend that because mucormycosis is an aggressive infection and can spread to a person's body quickly, patients with these symptoms should seek medical attention immediately," the report said.

"If a Covid-19 patient has experienced one of the symptoms above, then immediately contact the doctor because the situation is classified as a medical emergency," said Sahu.
By on