Black fungus and coronavirus: the first …

Mexico and Brazil have already registered their first cases of “black fungus”, the strange fungal disease called mucormycosis that occurs mainly in convalescents of covid-19 and which keeps Indian health authorities in suspense. Last week, it was also detected in a Uruguayan patient, which caused a phenomenon that seemed isolated to trigger alerts among specialists in the region.

In the case of Mexico, the infection was detected in a 34 year old man from Valle Chalco, State of Mexico, who is admitted to Zone 71 General Hospital after being infected with coronavirus. “It is possible that this is due to use of very high doses of steroid drugsMexico’s Under Secretary of Health Hugo López-Gatell Ramírez said.

In an attempt to calm people down, he explained that it is not a new pathogen but “it is a well-known fungus” which belongs to a “group of fungi called mucoral which produce a disease called mucormycosis” . As the official clarified, it occurs in people who have a immune system failure temporary, “but very serious, very deep, profound immunosuppression”.

At BrazilAlso this week, the San Pablo Hospital of Clinics issued an alert to the Ministry of Health after reporting the first case of black fungus. This is a 40-year-old man with a moderate image of covid-19, although he lacks the rest of the conditions that usually allow mucormycosis to develop (diabetes, leukemia, and high dose corticosteroid use, among others).

In addition to São Paulo, the states of Santa Catarina and Manaus have also presented cases.

7 keys on the black mushroom

1. It is a fungal disease that particularly affects patients with uncontrolled diabetes, those who have had leukemia, a bone marrow transplant or those who are immunocompromised.
2. The infection is caused by exposure to the mucor fungus, which is a member of the Mucoraceae family. It is commonly found in soil, plants, manure, and rotting fruits and vegetables.
3. Symptoms, according to a document released by the Indian Ministry of Health, are usually manifested by the appearance of scabs or black lesions on the nasal bridge or in the inner upper part of the mouth, itchy eyes and / or nose, headache, fever. , nausea, vomiting blood, shortness of breath and gastrointestinal bleeding.
4. It affects the sinuses, lungs and brain. It can be life threatening in people with severe immunosuppression or diabetes.
5. Data from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows it has a 54% death rate.
6. It is not contagious, that is, it cannot be spread through contact between humans or animals. It is spread by fungal spores present in the air or in the environment.
7. Factors behind the increase in mucormycosis cases include unsanitary conditions and the overuse of certain drugs amid the pandemic that suppress the immune system, experts say.