Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Riyadh 13713, Saudi Arabia
  • 2 Amrita School of Pharmacy, AIMS Health Science Campus, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Kochi 682041, India
  • 3 Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya 60115, Indonesia
  • 4 School of Pharmacy, Management and Science University, Shah Alam 40100, Malaysia
  • 5 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Clinical Pharmacy, King Faisal University, Al-Hofuf 31982, Saudi Arabia
  • 6 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Gulf Medical University, Ajman 4184, United Arab Emirates
  • 7 Pharmacy Department, Dammam Medical Complex, Dammam 32245, Saudi Arabia
  • 8 Pharmaceutical Care Services, King Saud Medical City, Riyadh 12746, Saudi Arabia
  • 9 Clinical Pharmacy Department, King Saud Medical City, Riyadh 12746, Saudi Arabia
  • 10 Pharmaceutical Services Administration, Inpatient Department, Main Hospital, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia
  • 11 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Northern Border University, Rafha 91911, Saudi Arabia
Antibiotics (Basel), 2021 Oct 27;10(11).
PMID: 34827246 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10111308

Abstract

The COVID-19 infection caused by the new SARS-CoV-2 virus has been linked to a broad spectrum of symptoms, from a mild cough to life-threatening pneumonia. As we learn more about this unusual COVID-19 epidemic, new issues are emerging and being reported daily. Mucormycosis, also known as zygomycosis or phycomycosis, causes severe fungal illness to individuals with a weakened immune system. It is a devastating fungal infection, and the most frequent kind is the rhino cerebral type. As a devastating second wave of COVID-19 sweeps India, doctors report several instances involving a strange illness-sometimes known as the "black fungus"-among returning and recovered COVID-19 patients. This paper analyzes the existing statistical data to address the severity of prevalence and further notes the nano-based diagnostic parameters, clinical presentations, its connection with other conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and GI disorders, and the importance of anti-fungal therapy in treating the same. Anti-fungal therapies, as well as surgical interventions, are currently used for the treatment of the disease. Proper and timely diagnosis is necessary, along with the reduction in the spread of COVID-19. From the review, it was found that timely pharmacologic interventions and early diagnosis by using a nano-based diagnostic kit can help control the disease. Additionally, this paper provides novel information about the nanotechnology approaches such as fungal detection biosensors, nucleic acids-based testing, point-of-care tests, and galactomannans detection, in the diagnosis of mucormycosis, and thereby reinforces the need for further research on the topic.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.