Mucormycosis Fungal Infection "EMPOWER IAS"

News: 

• Doctors have witnessed more than 12 cases of Covid-19 triggered Mucormycosis fungus.

Mucormycetes

• Mucormycetes, the group of fungi that cause mucormycosis, are present throughout the environment, particularly in soil and in association with decaying organic matter, such as leaves, compost piles, and animal dung.
• Several different types of fungi can cause mucormycosis and belong to the scientific order Mucorales.
• The most common types that cause mucormycosis are Rhizopus species and Mucor species.
• They are more common in soil than in air, and in summer and fall than in winter or spring.
• These fungi are not harmful to most people but for people who have weakened immune systems, breathing in micromycetes spores can cause an infection.

 

 

Facts:

• Black Fungus or Mucormycosis: It is a serious but rare fungal infection caused by a group of molds called mucormycetes which exist in the environment.
• Symptoms: The symptoms are face numbness, one-side nose obstructions or swelling of eyes or pain.
• Vulnerable Group: Mucormycosis mainly affects people who have health problems or take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness.
• Transmission: It is acquired when spores produced by the mold are inhaled or much less commonly when they enter the body through a cut or other break in the skin.It does not spread between people or between people and animals.

 

 

Types of Mucormycosis:

• Rhinocerebral (Sinus and Brain) Mucormycosis: It is an infection in the sinuses that can spread to the brain. It is the most common in people with uncontrolled diabetes and in people who have had a kidney transplant.
• Pulmonary (Lung) Mucormycosis: It is the most common type of mucormycosis in people with cancer and in people who have had an organ transplant or a stem cell transplant.
• Gastrointestinal Mucormycosis: It is more common among young children than adults, especially premature and low birth weight infants less than 1 month of age, who have had antibiotics, surgery, or medications that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness.
• Cutaneous (Skin) Mucormycosis: It occurs after the fungi enter the body through a break in the skin (for example, after surgery, a burn, or other types of skin trauma). It is most common among people who do not have weakened immune systems.
• Disseminated Mucormycosis: It occurs when the infection spreads through the bloodstream to affect another part of the body. The infection most commonly affects the brain, but also can affect other organs such as the spleen, heart, and skin.

 

Diagnosis and Testing:

• Healthcare providers consider medical history, symptoms, physical examinations, and laboratory tests when diagnosing mucormycosis.
• If suspected of the infection, healthcare providers collect a sample of fluid from the respiratory system or may perform a tissue biopsy.
• In tissue biopsy, a small sample of affected tissue is analysed in a laboratory for evidence of mucormycosis under a microscope or in a fungal culture.