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In India, doctors are reporting a rash of mucormycosis, a dangerous infection called “black fungus” that affects COVID-19 patients or convalescents. Meanwhile, scientists from another part of the world – South America – warn of another danger. This is Candida auris – a drug-resistant “super fungus” that threatens not only infected with coronavirus. Researchers warn that “in the near future, it could pose a very real problem to human health worldwide”.
- Brazilian scientists warn of drug-resistant “super fungus” causing “thousands of strange infections worldwide”
- It is about Candida auris, one of the Candida fungus species. This yeast can cause invasive candidiasis
- Over the past decade, mysterious cases of Candida auris infections have been reported in dozens of countries around the world, over 4,7 thousand people fell ill. people.
- Scientists warn C. auris will be an increasing global public health challenge in the coming years and decades
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage.
«Black fungus», «yellow fungus» – infections in COVID-19 patients and convalescents
We have been hearing about mycoses attacking COVID-19 patients and convalescents for several weeks. In mid-May, information about mucormycosis, commonly known as the “black fungus”, targeting COVID-19 patients began to flow from India. Later, cases of mucormycosis were also reported in Pakistan, Our Country, Bangladesh and Iraq. How did it start?
In mid-May, Indian doctors noticed that more and more patients reported with problems that they had not yet seen during the pandemic. People not only had shortness of breath and fever, they also complained of headache, chest pain, pressure behind the cheekbones and around the eyes. According to scientificamerican.com, the “black fungus” can attack the sinuses, bones of the face, and the brain. Patients may cough up blood. In some cases, eyes or jaw bones must be removed to stop an infection.
These symptoms are caused by fungal spores called mucormycetes. They are found in soil and decaying organic matter (leaves, fruits, vegetables and manure). When the disease is left untreated or the treatment is inappropriate, the mortality rate is as high as 50%.
Black fungus is not the only one that attacks patients with COVID-19 debilitated by the disease. The so-called A “yellow fungus” that is generally not found in humans, but in lizards. The pathogen detected early is curable, although the unspecific symptoms make the diagnosis difficult. If left untreated, multiple organ failure may develop.
Unfortunately, the list does not end with the “yellow mushroom”. Scientists in Brazil warn of a drug-resistant “super fungus” causing “thousands of strange infections worldwide”.
Mysterious yeast in hospitals – what is C. auris?
The threat reported by scientists from the Mycology Laboratory at the University of São Paulo is Candida auris, one of the species of Candida fungus. It is known that this yeast can cause invasive candidiasis in which the bloodstream, central nervous system and internal organs are infected.
- What is the treatment of candidiasis?
This pathogen has previously been observed in healthcare facilities, especially in the NICU. C. auris was first described in 2009 – after its discovery in the ear canal of a 70-year-old woman in Tokyo. Over the past decade, mysterious yeasts have been reported in patients from dozens of countries around the world, infecting over 4,7 thousand. people.
Worse, the current pandemic situation has created exceptionally favorable conditions for the development of this pathogen. «It seems that some hospitals full of COVID-19 patients with weakened immune systems provided fertile ground for taking root »supergrzyba«« – points out iflscience.com.
According to the “Journal of Fungi” (academic journal devoted to mycology), working under the supervision of prof. Arnaldo Colombo, scientists in São Paulo, recently documented an increase in C. auris cases in the Brazilian city of Salvador. The first two cases were detected in hospitalized COVID-19 patients around December 2020. Since then, “a surprisingly large number of hospitalized patients have become infected with these rare fungi”. As Professor Colombo points out, yeast was diagnosed in nine more patients. – In some, the fungus, although present in the body, but did not cause harm, others, unfortunately, were infected – said the scientist, noting: – In Brazil, no other cases have been reported, but there are reasons for concern.
Why is Candida auris a “super fungus”?
Candida auris is often referred to as the “super fungus”. And there is a reason for this – infection caused by this yeast is very difficult to treat. It turned out that in many cases Candida auris is resistant to all three major classes of antifungal drugs.
“This species quickly develops resistance to many drugs, and is not very sensitive to disinfectants used by hospitals and clinics,” says Arnaldo Colombo. As a result, it is able to survive in hospitals, colonizing healthcare workers and eventually infecting patients with severe COVID-19, but also other seriously ill patients.
Consequently, the US government agency Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has described Candida auris as a “serious global threat to health.”
As iflscience.com points out, no one is entirely sure how it happened that the threat of this yeast increased so quickly. Probably the overuse of antibiotics contributed to this. Some researchers speculate that C. auris also contributed to the abundant use of certain fungicides in agriculture. Others suspect that the “super fungus” may also be an effect of global warming.
Whatever the reasons, it appears that in the coming years and decades the C. auris yeast will become an increasing public health challenge worldwide.
You may be interested in:
- COVID-19 has surprised again. What is a “black mushroom”? WE EXPLAIN
- A disturbing infection after COVID-19. A “yellow mushroom” appears on the body
- A new “Moscow” variant of COVID-19. In Our Country, the number of infections has increased
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