Mucormycosis and its COVID implications

Mucormycosis popularly known as black fungus is a severe and often fatal invasive fungal infection. It has entered public consciousness in response to an outbreak of cases in India. It is an emerging fungal infection worldwide. It is an oppurtunistic infection and predominantly occurs in immunocompromised hosts. It is a life threatening infection which has gained a lot of importance after the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. A variety of risk factors have been associated with mucormycosis including immunosupression, diabetes mellitus, trauma, malnutrition to name a few. The most common oral manifestations are palatal ulcers and timely diagnosis and management can prevent the severity of the disease.