Black Fungus-1

What is Black Fungus?

Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, is a serious fungal infection, usually in people with reduced ability to fight infections. Symptoms depend on where in the body the infection occurs. It most commonly infects the sinuses and brain resulting in a runny nose, one-sided facial swelling and pain, headache, fever, and tissue death. Other forms of disease may infect the lungs, stomach and intestines, and skin.

It is spread by spores of molds of the order Mucorales, most often through inhalation, contaminated food, or contamination of open wounds. These fungi are common in soils, decomposing organic matter (such as rotting fruit and vegetables), and animal manure, but usually do not affect people. It is not transmitted between people. Risk factors include diabetes with persistently high blood sugar levels or diabetic ketoacidosis, low white cells, cancer, organ transplant, iron overload, kidney problems, long-term steroids or immunosuppressant use, and to a lesser extent in HIV/AIDS.

Mucormycosis is usually rare, affecting fewer than 2 people per million people each year in San Francisco, but is now ~80 times more common in India.

People of any age may be affected, including premature infants.

History of Black fungus and the First Case

The first case of Mucormycosis was possibly one described by Friedrich Küchenmeister in 1855. Fürbringer, first described the disease in the lungs in 1876. In 1884, Lichtheim established the development of the disease in rabbits and described two species; Mucor corymbifera and Mucor rhizopodiformis, later known as Lichtheimia and Rhizopus, respectively. In 1943, its association with poorly controlled diabetes was reported in three cases with severe sinus, brain and eye involvement.

In 1953, Saksenaea vasiformis, found to cause several cases, was isolated from Indian forest soil, and in 1979, P. C. Misra examined soil from an Indian mango orchard, from where they isolated Apophysomyces, later found to be a major cause of Mucormycosis. Several species of mucorales have since been described. When cases were reported in the United States in 1955, the author thought it to be a new disease resulting from the use of antibiotics, ACTH and steroids. Until the latter half of the 20th century, the only available treatment was potassium iodide. In a review of cases involving the lungs diagnosed following flexible bronchoscopy between 1970 and 2000, survival was found to be better in those who received combined surgery and medical treatment, mostly with Amphotericin B.

Black Fungus in 21st Century

The disease has been reported in natural disasters; 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and the 2011 Missouri tornado. During the COVID-19 pandemic 2020/21, an association between Mucormycosis and COVID-19 has been reported following treatment and recovery from COVID-19. A rise in cases was particularly noted in India.

How did Black fungus got it’s name?

Arnold Paltauf coined the term “Mycosis Mucorina” in 1885, after describing a case with systemic symptoms involving the sinus, brain and gastrointestinal tract, following which the term “mucormycosis” became popular. “Mucormycosis” is often used interchangeably with “zygomycosis“, a term made obsolete following changes in classification of the kingdom Fungi. The former phylum Zygomycota included Mucorales, Entomophthorales, and others. Mucormycosis describes infections caused by fungi of the order Mucorales.

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Important notes to readers:

Source- Wikipedia

Image Credit- Pexels, Unsplash, Pixabay.

See the next part here: Black fungus II

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