Is black fungus a threat to Bangladesh?

The black fungus (genus-Mucor) is responsible for causing mucormycosis. In addition, other genera of the same phylum such as Rhizopus and Lichtheimia are also causing mucormycosis. Rhizopus, Mucor and Lichtheimia are accounting for 70-80 per cent of all mucormycosis cases. These are ubiquitous fungi which live in soil, plant, manure, woods. These fungi are also known as moulds. In human being, they could infect the nose, eye and brain. Approximately 40 species of Mucor are commonly available in the nature but, not all the species are harmful for living being.

The disease mucormycosis is not a new disease. This disease was first reported in human in 1885 by Paltauf. When COVID-19 ravages the whole world in its 2nd wave, right this moment black fungus has struck with its deadly effects on COVID patients in some provinces of India, maiming them. The deadly black fungus mainly infects the COVID-19 patients who recover from COVID-19. The main reason of the severity of black fungus among the COVID patients is that the use of steroid escalates the sugar level, and the medicines use for them suppress the patient's immunity. Therefore, it is likely that black fungus could cause its severe infection resulting organ failure among the COVID-19 or post-COVID-19 patients.

Vaccination is one of the reliable ways to control COVID-19. Generally, fungal diseases could be cured by the application of antifungal medicines. Yet, the infection nature of black fungus is subjected to be more investigations. According to the Indian experts, it is an utmost importance to control diabetes, reduce steroid use and stop using immunomodulating drugs and one should maintain adequate systemic hydration.

It is the time when we are worried about the entry of Indian triple mutant Coronavirus. But recent effect of black fungus in India is adding double anxiety in our country. As black fungus is an air-borne fungus therefore, it is likely that it could travel to a long distance ignoring the transnational border. In this situation, we should follow the dispersal nature of the black fungus in India. We should also stop movement of people and goods from India throughout the land and airports.

Is black fungus a threat? We could not completely nullify the possibility of its major outbreak in Bangladesh. In India, mucormycosis is currently on rising without showing a major outbreak. The major cities of India reported 58 cases of black fungus infection--among them eleven patients lost an eye and six of them died. The majority of the patients contracted between 12 to 15 days after recovery from Covid-19. Invasion of any foreign strain is a matter of great concern.

In presence of a suitable host and environment the pathogen could show its severe outbreak resulting in a rapid dissemination of the pathogen. The ubiquitous nature of the black fungus allows it to survive in nature for a long time. The geographic, edaphic and environmental conditions in Bangladesh are almost similar with India. Therefore, it is assumed that Indian black fungus could persist in our environment and may pose a threat if it enters our country.

Preparedness against black fungus:
One of the main concerns of the fight against the deadly COVID-19 in our country is the ignorance of obeying the health guidelines by among mass people. Most of the people show their utter defiance of staying at home. What we can see, people are gathering in the markets for shopping and holidaymakers dart to their home on the occasion of holy Eid-ul-Fitr. This sheer disobedience could lead to worsening of not only the COVID-19 situation but also any contagious disease such as black fungus.

At present, from the government level, there is no clear indication of possible insertion and measures against black fungus. Nonetheless, it is high time to monitor the trajectory of the spread of black fungus in India. Simultaneously, we should also know how to treat black fungus patients. Unlike vaccines for COVID-19, we should make enough stocks of antifungal drugs against black fungus immediate after it enters Bangladesh.

The black fungus travels through air. Therefore, people must use masks, wear shoes, long trousers, long-sleeved shirts and gloves while they work in the gardens or handling manures--because the main habitats of mould fungus are soil and manure. Immediate after work, personal hygiene must maintain through using scrub bath and washing hands using soap.

In a nutshell, prevention is advised as the best policy to protect against black fungus. Strong monitoring should impose at the borders with India so that no one could enter our country ignoring travel restrictions. Besides non-COVID certificates, we could also enforce people to show black fungus-free certificates before their entry into Bangladesh. Another steering committee with the inclusion of eminent health experts could be formed as the watchdog of the black fungus situation in India and formulate future work plans accordingly.
Dr Md Abdullahil Baki Bhuiyan, Associate Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, BSMRAU, Gazipur.
Dr Mohammad ZahangeerAlam, Associate Professor Department
of Environmental Science,
(BSMRAU), Gazipur