India Faces Mucormycosis Epidemic as Cases Surge

What is mucormycosis?

Mucormycosis is a very rare infection caused by exposure to mucor mold, which is common in soil, plants, manure, and rotting fruits and vegetables. It affects the sinuses, the brain and the lungs and can be life-threatening in diabetics or severely immunocompromised people, such as cancer patients or people with HIV / AIDS, from steroids, a life-saving treatment for seriously and seriously ill Covid-19 patients. Steroids reduce inflammation in the lungs in Covid-19 and appear to help stop some of the damage that can occur when the body's immune system is running at full speed to fight the coronavirus, but they also reduce immunity and increase blood sugar levels in diabetics and non-diabetics with Covid-19.

It is believed that this decrease in immunity could trigger these cases of mucormycosis. One way to stop the possibility of fungal infection was to make sure that Covid-19 patients were both under treatment and after recovery, the correct dose and duration of the steroids will be administered. There isn't a big outbreak, but it's hard to control. It is hard to explain why an increasing number of mucormycosis cases are being reported across India. The virus strain appears to be virulent, raising blood sugar levels to very high levels, and interestingly, the fungal infection affects many young people.

Symptoms of Mucormycosis

Symptoms of mucormycosis depend on where the fungus grows on the body. Contact your doctor if you have symptoms that you think are related to mucormycosis.

Symptoms of rhinocerebral (sinus and brain) mucormycosis include:

• One-sided facial swelling
• Headache
• Nasal or sinus congestion

Symptoms of pulmonary (lung) mucormycosis include:

• Fever 
• Cough
• Chest-pain 
• Shortness of breath

Cutaneous (skin) mucormycosis may look like blisters or ulcers, and the infected area may turn black. Other symptoms include pain, warmth, excessive redness, or swelling around a wound.

Symptoms of gastrointestinal mucormycosis include:

• Abdominal pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Gastrointestinal bleeding

Disseminated mucormycosis usually occurs in people who have already had other conditions, so it can be difficult to identify which symptoms are related to mucormycosis. Mental changes or a coma may occur in patients with disseminated infection in the brain.

Treatment

If mucormycosis is suspected, amphotericin B therapy should be given immediately due to the rapid spread and high mortality rate of the disease. Amphotericin B is usually given for another 4 to 6 weeks after the start of initial therapy to ensure that the infection is eradicated. Recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of invasive aspergillosis and invasive mucormycosis. After the administration of amphotericin B or posaconazole, surgical removal of the “fungal ball” is indicated. The disease must be carefully monitored for signs of recurrence. 

This disease often affects the eyes, nose, skin, and lungs. This fungal disease is very dangerous, especially if it spreads to the brain and kills the patient. If the eye is affected, removing the eye is the only solution to prevent further spread to the brain. can be very drastic, and in some cases of diseases of the nasal cavity and brain, removal of the infected brain tissue may be required. The urge can be disfiguring as it may involve removing the palate, nasal cavity, or eye structures.