What is the ‘black fungus’ and why has it sounded the alarm in Uruguay

As the Indian government informed its medical staff in mid-May, a new post-covidial complication may be mucormycosis, also known as “black mushroom”, a condition with approximately 54% mortality, as revealed in a report from the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, for its acronym).

This disorder, which has already been diagnosed in nearly 9,000 patients in India and now reveals its first case in Uruguay, can occur in patients with a certain type of immunodeficiency and is due to mold exposure found in soil, compost, plants or rotting fruits and vegetables.

This fungus is likely to attack people infected with COVID-19 from prolonged illness in intensive care with a heavy use of immunosuppressive drugs weakens the immune system and gives more room to attack mucormycosis.

“Cases have been reported in several other countries including the UK, US, France, Austria, Brazil and Mexico, but the volume is much higher in India,” David Denning revealed , an expert from Global Action Fund Charity. Organization of fungal infections (GAFFI).

Now Uruguay can also join the list from This week, the first patient with the confirmed infection in the country was detected: He is a man under 50 with Diabetes who had been admitted to the city of Montevideo after contracting coronavirus.

Symptoms mainly occur in the facial area, with redness around the eyes and nose, swelling or numbness, toothache and sagging teeth, migraines, fever and cough. At a more advanced stage, the disease may manifest itself with blackness or discoloration of the nose, blurred or double vision, chest pain, shortness of breath and coughing up blood.

“One of the reasons is a lot, a lot of diabetes and a lot of poorly controlled diabetes,” Denning revealed. This population, naturally prone to mucormycosis, has increased risk factors when treating coronavirus infection with steroids such as dexamethasone, which can exacerbate diabetes.

According to infectologist Henry Albornoz, symptoms of “black fungus” in Uruguayan patient began to appear ten days after release for COVID-19. When the specialist showed necrosis (tissue death) in the area of ​​the mucosa, he performed the necessary tests on the man and ultimately it was confirmed that he had been infected.

“The important thing is not the identification of a case, but the warning that the immune erosion caused by COVID-19 can leave a breeding ground for other infections,” warned Albornoz.

As revealed by a presentation of the Chair of Infectious Diseases of the University of the Republic in Uruguay, out of 80 cases analyzed, 77.5% were men, 95.2% were hospitalized for coronavirus and 8 out of 10 had poorly controlled diabetes mellitus.

In extreme cases, mucormycosis can involve loss of the upper jaw and eyes. These severe cases may require specific antifungal treatment and various operations.