Delhi Hospital Reports First Patient With Black Fungus in Lung and Kidney

During the deadly second wave of coronavirus pandemic that ravaged India, mucorymycosis or black fugus affected many recovering or recovered COVID-19 patients. Uncontrolled diabetes and excessive use of steroids were cited as the leading cause of this brutal infection.

In a first, a private hospital in Delhi has reported a rare case of black fungus that had penetrated not only in the patient's nasal cavity but also his left lung and the right kidney.

The doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital conducted a six-hour-long surgery to remove part of the patient's left lung and the entire right kidney.

According to the doctors, the 45-year-old patient was suffering from post-COVID complications which included breathing difficulties, blood in sputum, high-grade fever, and Mucorymycosis or black fungus.

“It was a peculiar case and we had never seen the involvement of three organs in the case of black fungus in the medical literature," Manu Gupta, Consultant, Department of Urology, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital told Sputnik. "The involvement of the kidney was total, and the kidney had become non-functional. During surgery, the fungus was found almost spreading to the liver and the large intestine. Thus with great difficulty, the kidney could be removed without injuring the adjacent organs. This case is being reported in medical literature as the first case in the world after Covid infection."

The doctor also informed that the patient is recovering well and he is still on anti-fungal medicines. The patient was discharged after a month of prolonged anti-fungal therapy.

During the second wave of India's coronavirus pandemic, many COVID-19 patients became susceptible to fast-spreading fungal disease. It can be contracted by the inhalation of spores from the surrounding area like soil or vegetation.