Black fungus, also known as mucormycosis, is a fulminant fungal sinusitis that spreads rapidly in the body through tissues and blood vessels.
What Causes Black Fungus Infection in the Body?
Mucormycosis is caused by a fungus called mucor, which is found everywhere. Humans are exposed to these mucor spores daily, and they can enter our bodies when we inhale. Once inhaled, the spores travel into the body through the nasal passages, sinuses, or lungs, where they can cause infection. However, despite its widespread presence, it usually remains harmless to healthy individuals. It only affects individuals with fragile immunity.
How Quickly Does Mucormycosis Spread in Our Body?
Unlike other fungal infections that may progress slowly, mucormycosis spreads alarmingly. This is because, in black fungus, the patient has very low immunity. So once the infection takes hold, it can expand rapidly, doubling in just a few hours.
Mucormycosis, or other fulminant invasive fungal sinus infections when occurs in sinuses can reach brain or eye in few weeks, whereas other fungal infections, i.e., invasive fungal sinusitis takes years of neglect to reach brain or eye. So the lower the immunity the faster the infection spreads.
Why Early Diagnosis and Treatment is Crucial?
Early diagnosis and aggressive treatment are crucial for effectively combating mucormycosis. Proper and prompt treatment can achieve an initial success rate of about 90%. This treatment typically involves multiple surgical procedures and a combination of powerful IV and oral antifungal medications.
However, delayed or insufficiently aggressive treatment can have severe consequences. Mucormycosis is a rapidly spreading infection that can reach vital organs like the brain within days. Once it spreads to the brain, survival chances drop drastically to as low as 5%. While medical literature cites a 5% survival rate, Dr. K. R. Meghanadh has not personally encountered or heard of any cases where a patient has survived once the infection has reached the brain.
How many days can you last without treatment for black fungus?
In most cases, a person with untreated mucormycosis, or black fungus, can survive between 30 to 60 days before the infection becomes fatal. In severe cases, life expectancy without treatment may be as short as 10 days. On rare occasions, if an individual's immune system is exceptionally strong, they may recover without succumbing to the disease, but this only occurs in approximately 5% of cases.
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