Indore reports possibly first case of Green Fungus in country
What's the story
A 34-year-old COVID-19 survivor was diagnosed with green fungus infection in Madhya Pradesh's Indore and shifted to the Hinduja hospital in Mumbai by air ambulance on Monday for treatment, a senior doctor said on Tuesday. He said that more research was needed on whether the nature of green fungus infection in people who have recovered from COVID-19 is different from other patients.
Details
He was initially tested for mucormycosis
Dr. Ravi Dosi, Head of the Department of Chest Diseases, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences (SAIMS) told PTI that the man, who had recovered from COVID-19, underwent a test on suspicion that he had contracted the dreaded black fungus infection (mucormycosis). But he was instead found to have green fungus (Aspergillus fungus) infection in his sinuses, lungs, and blood.
Information
Patient had 90% lung infection due to the fungus
According to The Times of India report, the patient was not responding well to the treatment at SAIMS and had 90% lung infection due to the fungus. Dr. Dosi said that this is the first case of green fungus infection in Indore.
COVID-19 infection
Post COVID-19 recovery, he started having nose bleeds and fever
The man was admitted to a local hospital two months ago with almost 100% coronavirus infection in the lungs and was treated in the ICU for about a month. "The patient recovered. But then he started having nose bleeds and a high fever. He had also become very weak due to weight loss," the doctor said.
Fungal infections
Severely immuno-compromised patients are more prone to fungal infections
Notably, different types of fungal infections have been reported amongst patients who have recovered from COVID-19. So far, black, white, and yellow fungus infection cases have been reported in several cities. Moreover, experts point out that those patients who have taken steroids during COVID-19 treatment or those who are severely immuno-compromised become more prone to these fungal infections.