A 34-year-old COVID-19 survivor was diagnosed with green fungus infection in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore and shifted to Mumbai by air ambulance for treatment, a senior doctor said on Tuesday. Dr Ravi Dosi, head of the Department of Chest Diseases, Sri Aurobindo Institute of Medical Sciences (SAIMS) told PTI that the man, who had recovered from COVID-19, underwent a test on suspicion that he had contracted the dreaded black fungus infection (mucormycosis).
But he was instead found to have green fungus (Aspergillosis) infection in his sinuses, lungs and blood. However, after tests, it was found that he has contracted ‘Green Fungus’ – an infection that had earlier been seen only as a “junior partner” in other cases, Dr Dosi said. He added that the fungus, that is acting as an aggressor in possibly the first reported case in the country, has affected the patient’s lungs, sinuses and blood. More research is needed onwhether the nature of green fungus infection in people who have recovered from Covid-19 is different from other patients, Dr Dosi said. Aspergillosis is a relatively uncommon infection and affects the lungs. The doctor added that the medication for ‘Green Fungus’ is different from Black Fungus. He also added that ‘colour coding’ of the various types of viruses must be done. “Naming the same fungus based on its colours, depending on the area of infection, creates confusion,” he said.
