Durch einen sprunghaften Anstieg der Infektionszahlen im Rahmen der COVID-19 Pandemie
hat die Mukormykose, eine sonst eher seltene Pilzinfektion, weltweit Bekanntheit erlangt.
In diesem Artikel untersuchen wir die Risikofaktoren und Mechanismen, die zu dieser
viral-fungalen Koinfektion führen. Wir betrachten die globalen Verteilungsmuster,
die klinische Präsentation und die Herausforderungen bei der Diagnose und Behandlung
der COVID-19-assoziierten Mukormykose.
Abstract
The first patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 were registered in December 2019. In March
2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global
pandemic, the beginning of a worldwide health crisis that revealed numerous medical
challenges for healthcare systems and pandemic emergency strategies.
Among these challenges, mucormycosis, a typically rare fungal infection, gained global
attention. With an average global incidence of about 2 per 1 million people, mucormycosis
is considered a very rare disease, an opportunistic infection mostly affecting the
lungs or skin and soft tissues in immunocompromised patients. Poorly controlled diabetes
mellitus is one of the leading risk factors for rhino-orbital mucormycosis. Countries
with a high prevalence of diabetes and limited healthcare resources have higher mucormycosis
rates, with India and Pakistan being among the nations with particularly high incidences.
During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in India, mucormycosis rates surged
dramatically within a few weeks, with over 47,500 cases of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis
(CAM) reported between May and August 2021. Mucormycosis is characterized by a high
mortality rate of up to 90%, especially when the diagnosis is delayed, and treatment
commences late. There were concerns about a potentially global threat.
In this article, we explore the risk factors and mechanisms leading to this viral-fungal
coinfection. We present global distribution patterns, clinical presentation, and challenges
in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis.
