Mucormycosis is an acute
fungal infection with 90% of cases in the form of rhino-orbito-cerebellar. It is an aggressive and
life-threatening
fungal infection causing 50%
mortality in people with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In COVID-infected
patients due to,
diabetic ketoacidosis, epithelial damage, ciliary dysfunction, dysfunctional phagocytic mechanism, and
immunosuppression, there is impaired
chemotaxis and defective intracellular
killing leads to
fungal spores to invade, germinate and penetrate in surrounding
tissues. The use of broad-spectrum
antibiotics disrupts the normal
microbiomes and increases the
probability of
growth of
Rhizopus spp. Commercially available
probiotics such as
Lactobacillus,
Bifidobacterium,
Enterococcus,
Streptococcus, and
Saccharomyces when administered in adequate quantities form
siderophores which induces
iron stress in
fungus and inhibits
spore germination.