Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Dec:38:67-91.
doi: 10.1016/j.fbr.2021.09.003. Epub 2021 Sep 17.

The rise in cases of mucormycosis, candidiasis and aspergillosis amidst COVID19

Asmita Ghosh  1 , Anusua Sarkar  1 , Pubali Paul  1 , Parth Patel  2
Affiliations
Review

The rise in cases of mucormycosis, candidiasis and aspergillosis amidst COVID19

Asmita Ghosh et al. Fungal Biol Rev. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

The Coronavirus outbreak globally has changed the medical system and also led to a shortage of medical facilities in both developing and underdeveloped countries. The COVID19 disease, being novel in nature along with high infectivity and frequent mutational rate, has been termed to be fatal across the globe. The advent of infection by SARS-CoV-2 has brought a myriad of secondary complications and comorbidities resulting in additional challenges to the health care system induced by novel therapeutic procedures. The emerging variant with respect to the Indian subcontinent and the associated genetic mutations have worsened the situation at hand. Proper clinical management along with epidemiological studies and clinical presentations in scientific studies and trials is necessary in order to combat the simultaneous waves of emerging strains. This article summarizes three of the major fungal outbreaks in India namely mucormycosis, candidiasis and aspergillosis, and elaborates their subtypes, pathogenesis, symptoms and treatment and detection techniques. A detail of future therapeutics under consideration are also elaborated along with a general hypothesis on how COVID19 is related to immunological advances leading to major widespread fungal infection in the country. The factors that contribute in promoting virus proliferation and invasive fungal infections include cell-mediated immunity, associated immunocompromised conditions and treatment protocols that slows down immune mechanisms. To better comprehend a fungal or bacterial outbreak, it is very important to conduct audits mediated through multicenter national and state research teams for recognizing patterns and studying current cases of fungal infection in both healthy and comorbid groups of COVID19 patients.

Keywords: Amphotericin-B; Aspergillosis; COVID19; Candidiasis; Fungus; Mucormycosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mucormycosis infection in patients affected by COVID19.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
A comprehensive summary describing the overuse of steroid treatment in COVID19 infected patient leading to mucormycosis infection.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
A comprehensive summary of Mucormycosis detection and treatment process.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Steps of Candida infection in COVID19 patients.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
COVID19 associated pulmonary aspergillosis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Arastehfar A., Carvalho A., van de Veerdonk F.L., Jenks J.D., Koehler P., Krause R., Cornely O.A., S Perlin D., Lass-Flörl C., Hoenigl M. COVID-19 Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis (CAPA)-From Immunology to Treatment. J Fungi. 2020;6(2):1–17. doi: 10.3390/JOF6020091. 91. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Anaissie E.J., Stratton S.L., Dignani M.C., Summerbell R.C., Rex J.H., Monson T.P., Spencer T., Kasai M., Francesconi A., Walsh T.J. Pathogenic Aspergillus species recovered from a hospital water system: a 3-year prospective study. Clin. Infect. Dis. : An Off Publ Infect Dis Soc Am. 2002;34(6):780–789. doi: 10.1086/338958. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Aruanno M., Glampedakis E., Lamoth F. Echinocandins for the Treatment of Invasive Aspergillosis: from Laboratory to Bedside. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 2019;63(8) doi: 10.1128/AAC.00399-19. e00399-19. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Arendrup M.C., Patterson T.F. Multidrug-Resistant Candida: Epidemiology, Molecular Mechanisms, and Treatment. J. Infect. Dis. 2017;216(suppl_3):S445–S451. doi: 10.1093/INFDIS/JIX131. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Andrianaki A.M., Kyrmizi I., Thanopoulou K., Baldin C., Drakos E., Soliman S.S.M., Shetty A.C., Mccracken C., Akoumianaki T., Stylianou K., Ioannou P., Pontikoglou C., Papadaki H.A., Tzardi M., Belle V., Etienne E., Beauvais A., Samonis G., Kontoyiannis D.P., Andreakos E., Bruno V.M., Ibrahim A.S., Chamilos G. Iron restriction inside macrophages regulates pulmonary host defense against Rhizopus species. Nat. Commun. 2018;9(1) doi: 10.1038/S41467-018-05820-2. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources