MUCORMYCOSIS

MUCORMYCOSIS

Subject : Science & tech

Context : Niti Aayog member Dr VK Paul has said that mucormycosis known as black fungus affects those people who are suffering from diabetes. Reacting to reports of mucormycosis or black fungus among Covid-19 patients, he said, the infection affects only those who have a high blood sugar level.

Concept :

• Mucormycosis is a very rare infection.
• It is caused by exposure to mucor mould which is commonly found in soil, plants, manure, and decaying fruits and vegetables.
• It is ubiquitous and found in soil and air and even in the nose and mucus of healthy people.
• It affects the sinuses, the brain and the lungs and can be life-threatening in diabetic or severely immunocompromised individuals, such as cancer patients or people with HIV/AIDS.
• Doctor believe mucormycosis, which has an overall mortality rate of 50%, may be being triggered by the use of steroids, a life-saving treatment for severe and critically ill Covid-19 patients.
• Steroids reduce inflammation in the lungs for Covid-19 and appear to help stop some of the damage that can happen when the body’s immune system goes into overdrive to fight off coronavirus. But they also reduce immunity and push up blood sugar levels in both diabetics and non-diabetic Covid-19 patients.
• It’s thought that this drop in immunity could be triggering these cases of mucormycosis.