Black fungus: they detect a case of mucormycosis in someone infected with covid-19 in Uruguay

“The important thing is not the identification of a case but the warning that the immune deterioration caused by covid-19 can leave fertile ground for other infections,” Dr. Albornoz told The country.

Mucormycosis is a rare but serious infection caused by fungi of the genus mucor, abdsidia, and rhizopus that affects the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses.

In recent days the infection has attracted attention because India, which is experiencing a strong rebound in the coronavirus pandemic, has reported more than 9,000 cases of the disorder among patients who had recovered from COVID-19.

The disorder usually appears in patients with some type of immunodeficiency – the body’s less ability to fight infection – such as diabetes, AIDS, or immunosuppressive drug treatment.

India is one of the countries with the highest rates of diabetes in adults in the world.

And diabetics, as in the case of the Uruguayan patient, may present a greater risk of suffering from the disease.

“Diabetes lowers the body’s immune defenses and coronavirus exacerbates it and then steroids that help fight COVID-19 act as fuel for the fire,” Dr Akshay Nair, a Mumbai surgeon, told the BBC.

Indeed, doctors believe there may also be a link to the steroid medications now used to treat COVID-19.

Steroids reduce inflammation in the lungs and help stop some of the damage that can occur when the body’s immune system ramps up to fight the coronavirus.

But also reduce immunity.

The symptoms of mucormycosis depend on the part of the body that is infected.

It usually infects the sinuses and brain, causing a runny nose, swelling and pain on one side of the face, headache, fever, and tissue death.

The disease can also affect the lungs, stomach, intestines, and skin.

Severe sinus infection can spread to the brain. The result can be an invasive and life-threatening disease.

Although the infection is rare, has a high mortality.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the death rate from the disorder is 54%.

Due to this high virulence, it is necessary to accelerate the treatment, which often includes surgery, to remove the damaged part, and the use of antifungal medications.

In the case of the Uruguayan patient, it was reported that after recovering from covid-19, he began to present necrosis (tissue death) in the mucosa area.

Laboratory tests confirmed that he had been infected with mucormycosis.

As explained by Dr. Albornoz, the patient did not have a serious covid-19 infection and did not even need hospitalization.

“But about 10 days later the symptoms of the fungus infection began and now is that his main battle “the doctor pointed out.

The fungi that cause infection are common environmental organisms, usually found in soil, plants, compost, and decaying fruits and vegetables.

“It is everywhere and it is found on the ground and in the air, even in the noses and mucous membranes of healthy people,” Dr. Akshay Nair told the BBC.

Mucormycosis is rare in some countries and more prevalent in others.

In the United States, for example, the annual incidence in is estimated to be about two patients per million inhabitants.

But in India it is 80 times more prevalent.

According to a study published in November 2020 in Journal of Fungi, in that country there are around 0.14 cases per 1,000 inhabitants.

This same investigation also reported that diabetes is the main underlying disease in patients affected by mucormycosis in low- and middle-income countries.

In high-income countries the infection affects more those with blood cancer or organ transplants.

India has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the world.

According to the International Diabetes Federation, about 9% of the adult population suffers from the disease, which makes it in the second country with the highest incidence in the world, after China.

The true incidence of mucormycosis among patients affected with COVID-19 is unknown.

But as David Denning, a professor at the University of Manchester and an expert with the Global Action Fund for Fungal Infections (GAFFI) charity organization, points out, “Cases have been reported in several other countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States, and France. Austria, Brazil and Mexico “.

“But the volume is much higher in India,” the expert told Reuters.

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