White Fungus and Black Fungus - Post-COVID fungal infections

Dr. K. R. Meghanadh

There are three types of fungal sinusitis infections. White fungus and black fungus are just names given to fulminant types of fungal sinusitis.

Fulminant are the most dangerous and the rarest type among the three types.

Three types of fungi can cause fulminant fungal sinusitis in human beings.

1. Mucormycosis (black fungus)

2. Candida (causes Candidiasis)

3. Aspergillosis

So, we do not have anything called a white fungal infection, although when a person says white fungus, they refer to Aspergillosis and Candida's fulminant fungal infections.

97% of the post-COVID fungal cases are mucormycosis and the rest being candida and aspergillosis.

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We do not want to talk about Yellow fungus. That is a very rare case. Only one case is spotted in Ghaziabad (26th May 2021). We will add it only if the author of this article has witnessed and had some experience with it. If we add the content by referring to news, articles, and word of mouth, our content’s credibility could be compromised. We will update if we get some information from a direct, reliable source.

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There are 3 types of fungal sinusitis

1. Localized or non-invasive

2. Invasive

3. Fulminant

In post COVID, we see a fulminant fungal sinusitis. The fulminant illness is where the fungus spread is along the blood vessel walls. Fulminant is the quickest type among the three and spreads to the adjacent parts along the blood vessels. It can travel from the nose and sinuses to the jaw, bone, eye, and brain.

Is a White fungal infection more dangerous than a Black fungal infection?

The danger doesn’t lie in the type of fungus instead in the patient’s immunity. So, the lower the immunity, the faster the spread and more dangerous.

Black fungus White Fungus Symptoms

All the three fungi symptoms are identical in the initial stage. The only way to differentiate in the early stage is by examining the samples under microscope and culture studies. In the initial stages, we see signs like

• Nose block

• Severe nose pain

• Severe tooth pain

• Severe eye pain

In later stages, we see

• nasal discharge

• Double vision

• Deterioration of eyesight

• Swelling of eye, nose, or cheek

• Watering of the eye

• redness of the eye

We see differences in symptoms in later stages only. We get white, grey, and black nasal discharges for Candida, Aspergillosis, and Mucormycosis, respectively.

Immediate Action

It would be great to reach out to the doctor when the first set of symptoms mentioned above are identified. Recovery chances will be high, and the treatment time can also reduce.

On consulting an ENT doctor, he will take the fungal samples and send them for testing. Based on the test results, the doctor will proceed with treatment.

Written by

Dr. K. R. Meghanadh