Mucormycosis, a fungal infection, claimed thousands of lives during the Covid pandemic. There are now reports of new drug-resistant strains of fungus. How worried should we be? Dr J N Verma of Lifecare Innovations, which pioneered the development and manufacturing of the first Liposomal Amphotericin B in India, explains

Q: A new drug-resistant fungal infection has resulted in the death of two patients at AIIMS, Delhi. There are reports of newer varieties of fungi as well as known varieties such as Candida Auris and Candida Haemuloniibecoming resistant to drugs. What is causing this?
A. Hospital-acquired fungal infections, particularly the drug-resistant forms, may be caused predominantly by the indiscriminate use of drugs that act against some selective fungi (narrow spectrum). Fungi are inherently equipped to resist drug action. This phenomenon is called drug resistance. Now there are emerging infections that are resistant to multiple drugs from a very small kitty of options.
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