MUCORMYCOSIS

Mucormycosis (previously known as zygomycosis) or Black fungus is a serious but rare fungal disease caused by a group of moulds called mucormycetes. These types of fungi are present everywhere, especially in the soil and decomposing organic matter, such as compost, green manure, plant remains and animal waste.

CLINICAL FEATURE

They may include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Chest Pain
• Shortness of breath
• Swelling on one side of your face
• Headache
• Nasal or Sinus Congestion
• Blackening on the nose or the upper part of the mouth can become more severe
• Stomachache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Gastrointestinal Bleeding: all forms of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract i.e. mouth to the rectum. Symptoms include vomiting red blood or black blood, bloody or black stool.

SYMPTOMS OF CUTANEOUS MUCORMYCOSIS INCLUDE:

• Blisters that look like ulcers
• Infected area turning black
• Pain
• Warmth
• Excessive redness
• Swelling around a wound.

PREVENTION

• Wear face masks whenever leaving your homes, especially to gardens, dusty areas or while dumping your garbage
• Wear long-sleeved clothes and cover yourself properly to limit exposure to the skin
• In the case of diabetic patients, they must monitor their sugar levels and keep them under control
• Patients who take steroids should be monitored carefully
• One should always take steroids and other medicines after consulting a doctor, do not self-medicate
• Stay away from areas with a lot of dust or soil
• If you get a cut or a scratch while you were outside, wash your hands with soap and water as soon as you can
• Avoid direct contact with infected water such as flood water or water-damaged buildings

 INVESTIGATIONS

• There are non pathogonomic hematologic changes. The main abnormality is the underlying predisposing disorder that is diabetic ketoacidosis.
• There are elevated white blood cell counts and acute phase reactant levels. Blood culture is usually negative.
• Biopsy with histological examination is required for diagnosis.

HOMOEOPATHIC MANAGEMENT FOR MUCORMYCOSIS

There are some characteristic medicines which would be used on the basis of symptoms similarities to treat the mucormycosis. 

Arsenicum Album

• Burning pain, the parts burn like fire.
• Gangrenous aphthae, which burns like fire.
• All the symptoms worse at night, particularly after midnight.
• Great anguish, extreme restlessness, and fear of death.
• Great thirst for cold water, drinks very often, but takes but little at a time.

Aurum Metelicum 

• Through the organic nervous system it especially acts upon the palatine bones; osseous system, more especially the nasal and palatine bones.
• Caries of the nasal, palatine, mastoid, and ossicular bones.-RAUE.
• Swelling of the skull bones.
• Caries of bones, paining worse at night.
• Aggravation in the morning; on getting cold; while reposing.
• Relieved by moving; while walking, and on getting warm.

Condurango

• PAINFUL CRACKS IN CORNER OF MOUTH is a guiding symptom of this drug. Chronic gastric catarrh, syphilis, and cancer. Tumors; stricture of oesophagus.
• Fissures form about the muco-cutaneous outlets. Epithelioma of lips or anus. Ulcerative stage of carcinoma cutis when fissures form.

Acidum Fluoricum 

• This acid is the most caustic and highly corrosive substance known.
• Caries in consequence of syphilis, or abuse of Mercury, especially of the temporal bone.-RAUE.
• Digestive Organs.-Rapid caries of the teeth.
• Dental and lachrymal fistulae.
• Syphilitic erosions, mucous tubercles, exostoses, and nightly bone-pains.
• Varicose veins; typhus with decubitus.

Sulphur Iodatum

• Obstinate skin affections; painless enlargement of glands, and infiltration of tissues with thickening and induration after inflammation are marked features of Sul-io. 
• Weakness; as from influenza. Prostration and sensitive to everything. Faint and sick. Raw burning heat internally with external coldness. Acrid discharges. Single parts, fingers etc. turn white and insensible. Suppuration. 
• Breathing asthmatic, irregular, rattling and suffocative. Cough worse a.m.; spasmodic. Expectoration greenish, purulent, copious, viscid and yellow. Chest constricted, dropsy of pleura, and eruptions on chest.
• Ulcers. Moist eczema. Acne, suppurating. Barbers’ itch.
• Aching soreness below knees. Soles of feet ache, burn and sore, when standing.

Acidum Benzoicum

• Through the organic nervous system, it acts on the urinary organs, joints, fibrous tissue, and skin.
• Especially adapted to rheumatic or gouty subjects, where the urine is excessively fetid.
• The urine is high colored, with an exceedingly strong smell; dark-colored and much heavier than normal.
• Concretions in the joints, with rheumatism, or gout, with strong-smelling urine.
• Articular rheumatism, with fetid urine.

Kali Bichromicum

• Acts through the ganglionic system upon the mucous membranes; the glandular system; fibrous tissue and skin.
• The mucous membranes chiefly affected are the mouth, throat, cardiac portion of the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, and rectum;
• The whole respiratory membrane, including the conjunctiva and the uterus.
• Upon the skin it causes papules, pustules, and ulcers.
• Upon the fibrous tissue, about the joints and the periosteum, it has a marked and powerful influence. It also affects the cartilages, especially that of the nose, which it has entirely destroyed.

Mercurius Solubilis

• Complaints of Syphilitic origin.
• < heat as well as cold < night < warmth of bed.
• Nostrils are raw ulcerated. Pain and swelling of the nasal bones and decay with greenish fetid ulceration.
• Glandular enlargement with easy suppuration.
• Offensive discharges which are yellow green.
• Ulcerations spreading superficially with lardaceous base.
• Great thirst with moist mouth.

Secal Cornutum

• Strong tendency to putrescence, discharge of black blood; a kind of sanies, with tingling in the limbs and great debility.
• Passive haemorrhages; everything seems open and loose; no action, in thin, scrawny, cachectic women.
• Dry gangrene of the extremities; the parts are dry, cold, hard, and insensible, of a uniform black color, and free from fetor.–HEMPEL.
• The ulcer feels as though it had been burnt; discharges a putrid, bloody fluid, and is sometimes decidedly gangrenous and painless; in thin, scrawny cachectic people.