Mucormycosis, famously known as black fungus, is an infrequent fungal disease caused by fungi belonging to family mucormycetes. Its spores occur ubiquitously in the environment and it’s mainly an opportunistic fungus which can attack immunocompromised patients like those suffering from diabetes, cancer, HIV or those undergoing immunosuppressive treatment after transplant.
The spores inhaled can disseminate to sinuses, lungs, eyes and even brain and show symptoms according to the region where it is growing. It has a high mortality rate of 50%.
Treatment- Liposomal amphotericin B, antifungals- posaconazole, isavuconazole
India has the highest prevalence of Mucormycosis, about 70 times higher than the global average. The major reason seems to be high spore burden and high incidence of comorbidity- diabetes, as India is the diabetes capital of the world.
Mucormycosis showed sudden surge during COVID which could be due to factors created by COVID like- hyperglycemia, diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), iron overload, hypoxia and anemia- all of these conditions- excess sugar, iron, less oxygen, less immune response due to anemia support the fungal growth. Although the exact association between two has not been cleared, most of the research is working on it. The major concern being if Mucormycosis epidemic has happened it can happen again, let’s hope not but it can, and if it does, it will be definitely huge in India as its always highest here.
Is government, research centers and medical institutions doing enough to understand and fight against this infection? We cannot rely on any other country for its treatment as its majorly our issue.
MBH/PS
