Mucor Fungus Diseases

Mucor Fungus Diseases
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Mucor Fungus Diseases
Question 1
Mucor is a fungus originating from the soil and found in manure as well as in fruits and vegetables which are decomposing. Also, it is a major element in kept food as well as the processed one (Lee et al., 2014). Mucor cause allergies to people castles as well as amphibians. There are two dominant species of Mucor. One is known as Mucor indicus which can withstand growth at a temperature of 400C, and the other one is Mucor racemosus which cannot grow at a temperature beyond 370C. A person is likely to be infected with Mucor through exposure to the fungus. In one way, a person can inhale the fungal spores from the surrounding like carpets, mattresses, and floor. The result is an infection on the face, mucous membrane, brains, eyes or even lungs. On the other hand, one can get infected through the skin, where there are wounds or cuts. In most cases, it affects people whose immune is low, for example, the diabetic people or those under drugs.
Once the Mucor is inhaled, it takes iron from the body which accelerates its growth. The iron is mostly found in people with low immune like diabetes whose iron is high. Mucormycosis agents then cause infarction of the tissues in the lung air sacs. The Alveoli get filled with pus which leads to difficulty in breathing and hence results to pneumonia. One way of treating Pneumonia is by use of antifungal and antibiotic drugs. Most of the antibiotics are oral and results in improvement within three days.

Corticosteroids drugs are also used in treatment since they reduce inflammation (Torres et al., 2015). Another way of treating Pneumonia is by use of painkillers and drugs which relieve pain such as ibuprofen. Respiratory therapy is also done in case the condition persists. Breathing exercises are done with the help of the nurse together with some medication put into the lungs directly.
Question 2
One of the laboratory blood tests considered abnormal is arterial blood PH below 7.35 and carbon dioxide level above 45 mm Hg referred to as respiratory acidosis. The other abnormal blood test is a blood PH above 7.45 and a carbon dioxide level below 35 mmHg known as respiratory alkalosis. Arterial blood PH above 7.45 means that there are more ions in the blood than usual and the blood is said to be acidic. The high and low ion concentration results from the deposition of metabolized food wastes in the blood. The kidney, lungs and Carbonic acid and ion bicarbonate pair, buffer system, functions to regulate the ion concentration in the blood. When the lungs and the kidneys or one of the organs is not working correctly, ion imbalance occurs in the blood leading to the two abnormalities. The kidney excretes or keeps the bicarbonate ion which may lead to reduced ions in the plasma. The lungs, on the other hand, regulate the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood which may increase the hydrogen ions.
Question 3
One of the treatments for the conditions is controlling breathing. In case there is excess oxygen preventing absorption of carbon dioxide, slowed breathing is done on patients to allow incorporation of more carbon dioxide. Oxygen therapy is another treatment which involves exercises to help absorption of more oxygen. Oxygen therapy is done to reduce carbon dioxide in case it is the cause of the abnormality. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy can also be done to increase oxygen intake and reduce carbon dioxide in the body. In the case of medication, kidney failure is treated with sodium citrate drugs. The kidney may be the leading cause when it fails to regulate bicarbonate ions. In case the blood PH is low, sodium bicarbonate drugs are used. Bicarbonate neutralizes hydrogen ions in the body to the required level. Drugs such as albuterol and theophylline are used to unblock the air paths. Blocked air paths reduce oxygen intake while increasing carbon dioxide intake. Increased carbon dioxide raise blood PH.

References
Lee, S. C., Billmyre, R. B., Li, A., Carson, S., Sykes, S. M., Huh, E. Y., … & Heitman, J. (2014). Analysis of a food-borne fungal pathogen outbreak: virulence and genome of a Mucor circinelloides isolate from yogurt. MBio, 5(4), e01390-14.
Torres, A., Sibila, O., Ferrer, M., Polverino, E., Menendez, R., Mensa, J., … & Niederman, M. S. (2015). Effect of corticosteroids on treatment failure among hospitalized patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia and high inflammatory response: a randomized clinical trial. Jama, 313(7), 677-686