AIIMS doctors confirmed the death of two patients suffering from COPD due to infection caused by a drug-resistant fungus called Aspergillus lentulus.

The authors stated that this was Indias first report on invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in a COPD patient caused by Aspergillus lentulus. According to the Indian Journal Medical Microbiology, the two patients had been admitted to AIIMS for treatment of COPD. The first patient received oral injections of amphotericin B and voriconazole at AIIMS, but no improvement was seen in his clinical condition leading to death. The other patient was also given amphotericin B, but his condition did not improve, and he died after a week of multiple organ failure.

Dr. Arnaroke Chakrabalti, head of the Department of Medical Microbiology at PGI Chandigarh and the WHO Collaborative Reference Research Center for Medically Important Fungi, said that currently, more than 700 identified fungal species known to cause disease, and some were drug-resistant. He raised concern about the delay in addresing the issue of increasing cases of fungal infection and its prevention for the last 37 years. The COVID-19 pandemic and the post-COVID fungal infection, zygomycosis, has now made the policymakers vigilant and work against the fungal infections seriously. He added that creating an infrastructure for responsive diagnosis and management of fungal infections was very necessary.