A man with the world’s worst luck managed to catch both Covid-19 and a flesh-eating bug that shredded half of his face in quick succession.
Flesh-eating fungus took hold after the unnamed 37-year-old's immune system was weakened following a bout of Covid-19.
The Covid-19 infection put the poor bloke from Iran in hospital, as well as giving him uncontrollable diabetes.
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According to a report published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports on March 3, the man was referred to a gum infection expert who discovered he had a flesh eating fungal infection, known as mucormycosis, growing in part of his bottom jaw.
Mucormycosis is a horrific and rare condition that can kill those with weakened immune systems.
The disease is caused by common moulds found in soils, which when breathed in, can attack the body’s airways before spreading to the face, brain and other organs.
The US’ Centre for Disease Control says that up to 96% of people with the disease can die, depending on which organs are affected.
Following the terrifying diagnosis, medics from the University of Medical Sciences in Tehran later discovered the fungus had spread to parts of his nasal cavity and mouth.
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Plastic surgeons spent hours removing 12 teeth and the infected facial bones to prevent the disease from spreading further and causing more complications.
After the surgery, the man was given antifungal medications and thankfully made a full recovery with no signs of reinfection.
The man is also due to have reconstructive surgery on his face, the paper’s authors said.
"Following severe forms of Covid-19, the presence of periodontal abscess with tooth mobility should be cautiously taken into consideration," they concluded.
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While the world’s unluckiest man can’t be blamed for his infection, the same can’t be said about Gretchen Testa, an American woman who picked up a piece of mould that is most commonly known for turning organisms into “zombies”.
Fungus fanatic Gretchen picked up a large piece of cordyceps mould, which is the same strain that inspired the hit TV show “The Last of Us”.
The HBO doomsday thriller builds a world ravaged by the cordyceps fungus destroying humanity and creating a swarm of zombies in its place.
The potentially deadly fungus has the unique ability to take over living organisms and turn them into “zombies”, though currently the mould can only “turn” small creatures like ants.
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