Is Mucormycosis an inevitable complication of Covid-19 in India?

• Main Authors: Ramadevi Bhogireddy, Venkataraman Krishnamurthy, Sugin Lal Jabaris S, Chitikela P Pullaiah, Swetha Manohar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-05-01
• Series: Brazilian Journal of Infectious Diseases
• Subjects: Mucormycosis; Covid-19; Steroidal drugs; Diabetes mellitus; Immunity
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1413867021000660

Mucormycosis or black fungus infection is a less common disease but highly fatal infection, infecting the immunocompromised individuals. The site of predilection of the fungus is found to be lungs and brain in addition to its sequestration in sinusoidal spaces. Presently with the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, the prevalence of this infection is found to be high in the Indian population. The fungus establishes itself by affecting the compromised immune system of an individual and thereby making the individual susceptible to other diseases/infection. The reasons attributed to the sudden upsurge are steroidal therapeutics abuse, tocilizumab therapy and diabetes mellitus.To avert the cytokine storm, the medical health workers are necessitated to include steroid drugs in COVID 19 treatment protocol however inclusion of these drugs in patients who do essentially require steroids can have their immune system debilitated and permit the invasion of this fungus. According to International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 77 million Indians are known to be diabetic, cautioning the physicians to be vigilante of the impending black fungus infection in the event of COVID19 affliction in such individuals. There is causal relationship between anti-hyperglycemic drugs and weakened immune system and opportunity for the fungus invasion. This review attempts to explain the inter-relatedness of COVID19 infection, its treatment and eventual black fungus infection risk.