What is green fungus? Causes, symptoms, and prevention

A 34yearold businessman was brought from Indore to Mumbai in a special air ambulance after being diagnosed with green fungus in his sinus lungs and blood He had recovered from a monthlong Covid19 infection Mumbai doctors said his wasnt the first case of green fungus Aspergillus infection in a Covid19 patient They are seeing a significant rise in such cases along with other fungal infections such as the widely reported Mucormycosis or black fungusMiddaycom reached out to Dr Arpit Sharma of P D Hinduja Hospital to get answers to some of the most pressing questions related to Aspergillus infectionWhat is green fungusAspergillus fungus is also known as Green fungus as they appear green in laboratory cultures Aspergillosis is the infection caused by Aspergillus the common mould that lives indoors and outdoors says Dr Arpit Sharma of P D Hinduja Hospital where the Indore patient is being treated in the ICUHowever AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria recently opined that Mucormycosis should be identified by its name and not colour to avoid confusionAlso Read34yearold green fungus patient airlifted to Mumbai from IndoreldquoLabelling the same fungus with names of different colours can create confusion Mucormycosis is not a communicable disease unlike Covid19 About 9095 per cent of patients getting infected with Mucormycosis are found to have been either diabetic andor taking steroids This infection is seen very rarely in those who are neither diabetic nor taking steroidsrdquo he had saidIs it different from black fungusSince it appears as green colonies when grown in culture mediums in laboratory it is called green fungus Dr Sharma saysDr Anita Mutha HoD microbiology department Mahatma Gandhi Mission MGM said ldquoFunguses show colour in their cultures There are black yellow green and white funguses but these are all specimens of Mucormycosis Cinderella and AspergillusrdquoHow deadly is green fungusLike black fungus it too can cause severe and life threatening infections involving the nose sinuses eyes brain and lungs Dr Sharma addsWhat are the causes and symptoms Dr Sharma says inhalation of fungal spores usually present commonly in our environment in immunosuppressed lowimmunity individuals can result in fungal infections either Mucormycosis or Aspergillosis Usually nasal and sinus involvement presents in the form of nasal congestion blockage and headache nasal discharge swelling of eyes or vision lossWho are vulnerable to green fungusImmunosuppressed individuals like diabetics cancer chemotherapy patients or immunodeficiency patients are the vulnerable population says Dr Sharma Recent history of Covid19 infection also results in low immunity and predisposes a patient to such fungal infectionsAlso Read Explained What is Long Covid how to detect it and ways to manage symptomsWhat is the rate of growth of infectionIt grows quite rapidly and can involve nasal sinuses eyes and brain within few days if left untreated It may result in death also if not addressed earlyWhat treatment is availableUsually either endoscopic surgery or open surgery followed by antifungal medications amphotericin B over a period of few weeksWhat is the recovery rate It depends on a lot of factors If the infection is diagnosed early and appropriate treatment in the form of surgery and antifungal medications starts on time along with strict control of blood sugars then there are good chances of recovery Around 60 70 per cent patients do well and recover completelyHow can it be preventedThe fungus can be prevented by maintaining good hygiene and cleanliness and wearing N95 respirators especially in dusty areas Immunosuppressed lowimmunity people should avoid activities involving close contact with soil and dust Diabetic patients should try and regulate sugar levels especially if they had received steroids recently