India / World's 1st case of white fungus causing holes in intestines reported in Delhi hospital

New Delhi: The ‘first’ case of a patient developing holes in her intestine due to white fungus infection has been reported in Delhi. 

In Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, a 49-year-old woman was admitted following abdominal pain and vomiting. A CT scan at the hospital revealed a perforated intestine. The woman, a cancer patient, had undergone chemotherapy sometime before. 

“This is the first case in the world where holes in food pipe, small intestine and large intestine caused by white fungus after COVID-19 infection was found,” Dr Amit Arora of Gastroenterology and Pancreaticobiliary Sciences Department in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said. 

"After four hours of surgery, holes in the patient’s food pipe, small intestine and large intestine were closed,” he added. 

Several cases of white, black and one of yellow fungus in COVID-19 patients has heightened the worry of the nation reeling under the second wave of the pandemic. 

Earlier, a few cases of patients diagnosed with 'Mucormycosis' or black fungus in the small intestine were found in Ganga Ram. 

India registered 11,717 cases of black fungus or mucormycosis as of May 25, with Gujarat recording the most cases followed by Maharashtra. So far, Gujarat has 2,859 black fungus cases, while Maharashtra 2,770, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 768 cases, as per Union Health Ministry data.