No discrimination over allocation of medicines to treat Black Fungus

No discrimination over allocation of medicines to treat Black Fungus

Subject: Science & tech

Context: The Centre on Wednesday informed the Bombay High Court that anti-fungal drugs like Amphoterecin B used for treating black fungus had been allocated to states on a need-based system and there was no discrimination against any state, including Maharashtra.

Concept:

• Mucormycosis — a rare form of fungal infection which could affect vision, and threatens life, if people do not get treated immediately after spotting its symptoms.
• Mucormycosis has to be suspected in COVID-19 patients, diabetics and immuno-suppressed individuals when they have sinusitis – nasal blockade or congestion, nasal discharge (blackish/bloody), local pain on the cheek bone.

Symptoms:

• One-sided facial pain, numbness or swelling. Blackish discolouration over bridge of nose or palate. Toothache, loosening of teeth, jaw involvement. Blurred or double vision with pain; fever, skin lesion; thrombosis & necrosis (eschar). Chest pain, pleural effusion, haemoptysis, worsening of respiratory symptoms

Treatment:

• Treatment includes aggressive surgery or radical debridement and exenteration of effected or blind eye, long term follow-up along with anti-fungal medications. Apart from surgery, prolonged anti-fungal treatment plays a major role in curing the patient.

Amphotericin B

• It is fungistatic or fungicidal depending on the concentration obtained in body fluids and the susceptibility of the fungus.
• The antibiotic is without effect on bacteria, rickettsiae, and viruses.
• The drug acts by binding to sterols (ergosterol) in the cell membrane of susceptible fungi.
• It creates a transmembrane channel and the resultant change in membrane permeability allowing leakage of intracellular components.
• Amphotericin B, a polyene, binds irreversibly to ergosterol, resulting in disruption of membrane integrity and ultimately cell death.