Mucormycosis Infection, affecting Canines and their Owners

Fungal infection is a serious problem for both humans and animals. It is no fun to experience fungal infection, and in this post, I will be focusing on a certain type of fungal infection that affects dogs; it is known as Mucormycosis.

Mucormycosis is not a common fungal infection, and it consists of a diverse group of ancient fungi, with several of the infections having the ability to cause infections. In different parts of the body.

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Mucormycosis belongs to a class of fungi that would cause Zygomycetes, pythiosis, and lagenidiosis. It belongs to the Mucoraceae family and can be found worldwide. The fungi would feed on decaying organic materials in the environment.

These fungi gently reside within the soil and can be transferred to the dog once they stay in such soil, especially for a long time.

The fungi could attach to their skin or coat; the dog can also become infected once they inhale the fungi spores or when they eat a plant with the fungi on it.
Most of the fungi that cause Mucormycosis exist within the soil, and upon exposure to these funguses, there is a strong risk for infection. The level of risk will then depend on the amount of time your canine friend spends in soiled areas especially ones with decaying vegetation. The process of transmission of the fungus will be from the soil to the cost and the skin of your pet.

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Mucormycosis is used to describe the collection of mold, fungal diseases, and infections that affect dogs. When it happens, the skin and gastrointestinal tract are affected. The infection doesn't jump on a random animal, but it happens when fungus comes in contact with an injured or compromised dog, and the means of multiplication is often rapid.

The fungus invades the wall of blood vessels and reduces the flow of blood. Eventually, all flow of blood to the tissues will be blocked, causing it to decay and causing widespread damage to the tissues. This condition is so fatal that, if not diagnosed and treated on time, it may lead to death.

The symptoms associated with the existence of Mucormycosis can happen either mildly or severely depending on the immune system of your canine friend and how they tend to respond to infection. They show symptoms in the form of jaundice, nodules development, vomiting, pain in affected regions, pneumonia or other lung problems, and lesions on the skin.

Treatment is possible depending on how severely the health of your dog has degenerated; if the overall health of your dog has become debilitated due to the infection, then your pet may need to be hospitalized. During hospitalization, the dog will be monitored consistently placed on various IV fluids, and also given nutritional therapy.

There are also chances that antifungal medications may be prescribed for a long time to completely eradicate the fungi from the body of your dog. There could also be antibiotics prescribed to prevent the infection from spreading even further into the body of your canine friend, therefore harming the dog.

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Mucormycosis affects humans too, it is a fungal infection that is also rare in humans but common amongst people with a weak immune system, and just like our canine friends, if left untreated, it could turn out to become fat.

This infection in humans presents itself as either a skin infection or a respiratory infection. Signs include; fever, cough, sinus pain, nasal congestion, and headache. If the infection appears in the form of a skin infection, then it could appear anywhere on the body, even if it begins first at the site of trauma. Symptoms include fever, redness of the skin, tenderness, black skin tissue, ulcers, and swelling.

Mucormycosis gets to humans upon exposure to soil, rotting wood, piles of compost, and leaves. Humans can breathe in affected mold spores present in the air; this is called sinus palomary exposure, therefore causing infection in the eyes, lungs, fae, sinuses, and face.

Exposure through a cut or burn is also possible; it isn't everyone who is exposed that would eventually have an infection, though,h, and that's why we spoke about the risk associated with having an immunocompromised immune system. A person who has cuts, HIV or Aids, cancer, scrapes, diabetes, surgery, or a recent organ transplant stands a high chance of getting the infection more easily than others.

One thing about Mucormycosis infection in humans, which may be a little scary, is that so many people have it and do not even know that they do. Until the presence of a skin infection or lung issues, the person gets to the hospital, and then the presence of Mucormycosis is diagnosed.

It isn't a thing to joke with when humans get this infection, as it could spread to the brain or lungs, therefore creating cases of seizure, pneumonia, paralysis, brain infection, and eventual death.

However, treatment has proven to be effective in cases of infection, with the first step being receiving intravenous (IV) antifungal medication and having surgical debridements. Surgical debridement involves the removal of the affected tissue, which has been shown to prevent the infection from spreading even further into the body.

Mucormycosis isn't an infection that can be passed from one person to another, but safety, especially when handling outdoor activities, is very important, especially when you have a weak immune system.

Even if this infection can affect both humans and pets, it is not a zoonotic disease as it cannot be spread from animals to humans. Each case of infection has to do with contact with a direct source of infection.