Amid emergence of black fungus, white fungus, yellow fungus and the latest being the green fungus, an unusual case has been now found in Bengaluru where a man has been diagnosed with both green fungus (aspergillus fumigatus) and black fungus (mucormycosis).
ENT surgeon Dr Prashanth R Reddy at BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital, in the first week of June, found out when the hospital lab delivered microbiology reports of a patient with both green fungus and black fungus.
According to a Deccan Herald report, the patient had persistent headaches and numbness of the cheek. A CT scan revealed a fungal infection in the sinus and below the eye surface.
The doctor while operating the partient said, "I realised it wasn't just the Mucor fungus. There were crystals inside his sinus cavity. What's worrying is that while aspergillosis is common, this species of fungus is not common. The green colour is not common, it's generally white in colour and is only present in the soil. After Covid, the mucosa of the sinuses is killed. Any dead tissue will lead to the growth of fungus, be it food or the human body."
In his opinion, the surge in fungal infections is due to variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. But the patient's Covid sample is not available for genomic sequencing. "Patients are abusing multivitamins like vitamin C tablets and antibiotics. Antibiotics can't help in reducing a viral infection," he added.
The patient, 45-year-old Karthikeyan R, an independent paediatric physiotherapist in Mysuru, tested positive for Covid on April 24 and was in home quarantine with two of his friends who were also Covid positive.
"I developed sinusitis (cavities around the nasal passages become inflamed) when I was moved to the ward. I had severe pain in the right side of my face. I came to Bengaluru to see an ENT surgeon who operated on June 9. Though my corona symptoms have come down, a part of my face is still numb. Due to general body weakness, I won't resume work till after two months," Karthikeyan said.
Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Monday said, a total of 40,845 cases of black fungus or mucormycosis have been reported in the country so far, of which 31,344 are rhinocerebral in nature, and the death toll from the infections stands at 3,129.
