Facts need known about Black fungus disease (mucormycosis)|| pharmacyteach.com

 

           Black fungus disease (mucormycosis)

 

 As the COVID-19 wave in India is peaking, some new fungal diseases are breaking throughout the country. The most prominent one is osprey the black fungus or the Mucormycosis. 

What exactly is the Black fungus?

What are its symptom, treatment, and procedure?

Is black fungus contagious? 

All these questions answers we will discuss in the article.

 

What are fungi?

A fungus (plural: fungi ) belongs to eukaryotic organisms that involve microorganisms such as yeast and molds. These organisms are categorized as a kingdom separately from other eukaryotic kingdom like Plantar, Animalia, Protozoa, and chromista. 

 

• A reason for places fungi in the separate kingdom from plants, bacteria, and some protists is chitin in their cell walls. 

Treatment of Fungal sinus infections is very hard and is often fatal[1].

• Fungi are heterotrophs like other animals; they get their food by absorbing dissolved molecules, usually by secreting digestive enzymes into their surrounding environment.  

 

• Fungi don't photosynthesize like other plants. The lifestyle of most fungi in soil and on dead matter. 

 

• Most fungi grow as a cylindrical, thread-like structure 2-10 micrometers in diameter and various centimeters in length called Hyphae. 

• Sometimes hyphae fuse when they come in contact with each other, this process is called Hyphal fusion. (Or anastomosis) .

 

 

What is black fungus(mucormycosis):-

 The formal name of the Black Fungus disease is Mucormycosis. It is an infection of the Mucorales fungal family means that these fungi belong to the Mucorales family .and this type of fungi is found almost everywhere like in soil, in the environment, in decaying fruits and vegetables, and in normal fruits and vegetables in these things, it is commonly found.

If we talk about species of fungi There are about 1,44,000 species till are discovered out of which some of them are harmful to human bodies. The main site of their attack is the eyes, which are badly damaged by this infection and even most people lose their eyes[1].

 

People are affected by the black fungus ( mucormycosis)

 Firstly black fungus isn't a new disease. This disease comes under the category of opportunistic infections means these infections do not cause trouble in normal conditions

 But when these bacteria and fungi get the opportunity they attach and infect people. When do these things get the opportunity?  

When the immune system of the person becomes weak. So the Mucorales fungus is commonly found in our surrounding environment and if it enters the body of a healthy person it doesn't do anything to that person. But if the immune system of a person is weak it will cause problems and infection. 

 

Why do healthy people not get infected by fungus?

As we said fungus infection is the weak immune system person so a young and healthy person has a strong immune system that continuously fights these fungi to prevent the body from getting an infection.

 

 How susceptible people with a weak immune system are?

 

Black fungus disease is a rare disease as we said these fungi are found in our surrounding environment so we should clean our environment, and void the uses of steroids and other drugs that depressed the immune system of the body (immunosuppressants) all these things cause mucormycosis. But the death rate from this infection is more than that of COVID-19 infection.

cases in different states of India 

 

Reason for the weak immune system:- 

                Most doctors agreed that people are more affected by who overuse of steroids during the covid-19 period to suppress their immune system. But some also say that viral infection is itself an immunosuppressant that helps fungus to spread[1].

In additions ;

1. Chemotherapy treatment for cancer 

2. Diabetes 

3. Overused steroids 

4. Immunosuppressive drugs.

 

 

How do fungi enter the body (causes)? 

There are many ways for the entry of fungus to into the body.

1. Through the air 

2. Through food 

3. Through wounds and cuts.

the most common way is through the air which enters by breathing and causes lung infection. The area of nose and sinus are the common areas where mucormycosis infection occurs .this disease can affect the lungs, eyes, and brain nose due to the restriction of blood in blood vessels [2].

 

  Is mucormycosis(black fungus) contagious.?

 No, black fungus disease does not move one person to another person.

 

Symptoms of black fungus (mucormycosis):-

• discoloration of the nose and tongue, 
• blurry vision,
• breathing problems, 
• chest pain,
• coughing along with blood, 
• redness in the eyes,
• fever,
• cough, 
• headache,
•  black lesion inside the mouth and
•  vomiting.

   

References-

[1] . BMJ 2021; 373 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n1238 (Published 13 May 2021)Cite this as BMJ 2021;373:n1238

[2] . “Hospitalized Patients and Fungal Infections “ (May 28, 2020)