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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
Blastomycosis
Answered by
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Blastomycosis
by im_cdn, May 17, 2004 12:00AM
I had blasto 2 years ago and was told at that time that i could not get it again. However i have just been diagnosed again. I was wondering if anyone knew what the chances of a relapse are and why some of the symptoms i have now are different then last time. For example, I cough all the time now and i never did before. The body aches are not as bad and i'm not as fatigued yet. And on both occassions i have gotten them in my lungs.
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, May 25, 2004 12:00AM
, May 25, 2004 12:00AM
Blastomycosis is an infection caused by a fungus that is found in moist soil, which has been contaminated with animal waste. It is most common in the southeastern and south central United States, extending s up the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys into the north central United States and Canada. The spores of this fungus are light so they easily become airborne. Then they are inhaled into the airsacs of the lungs, causing breathing problems like the cough that you have. Other symptoms may include coughing up blood because of the irritation caused by the infection, fever, night sweats, shortness of breath, soreness of the chest, and fatigue. This fungus can also effect the skin. The fungus is found by looking at some of the sputum or a scraping of effected skin under a microscope. Some people recover without treatment. However relapse is common. Relapse is most likely to happen when there is a deficiency in the immune system. The symptoms may vary with each relapse.
An infectious disease specialist with experience in treating fungal infections would be the type of specialist to determine the best treatment. Often an antifungal is used, like Nizoral® (ketoconazole) or Sporanox® (itraconazole). When the infection is in just one area of the lung, surgery to remove that area is helpful. You should also have your immune system checked to be sure there is no deficiency.
An infectious disease specialist with experience in treating fungal infections would be the type of specialist to determine the best treatment. Often an antifungal is used, like Nizoral® (ketoconazole) or Sporanox® (itraconazole). When the infection is in just one area of the lung, surgery to remove that area is helpful. You should also have your immune system checked to be sure there is no deficiency.
http://www.doctorfungus.org/mycoses/human/blasto/blastomycosis.htm Blastomycosis
"Blastomycosis refers to the disease caused by the endemic dimorphic fungi Blastomyces dermatitidis. The disease is endemic in the southeastern and south central states of North America, along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers"
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http://www.ehendrick.org/healthy/000208.htm
"Once inhaled, the spores of B. dermatitidis can lodge in the lungs and cause a localized inflammation. This is known as primary pulmonary blastomycosis. The disease does not spread from one person to another. In the early stages, symptoms may include a dry cough, fever, heavy sweating, fatigue, and a general feeling of ill health. In approximately 25% of blastomycosis cases, only the lungs are affected. As the disease progresses, small lesions form in the lungs causing the air sacs deep within the lungs (alveoli) to break down and form small cavities."
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http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/blastomycosis_t.htm
"Sequelae Permanent lung damage with chronic disease. Mortality rate is about 5%. "
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More links at google.com
http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic231.htm Excerpts:
"Reactivation of blastomycosis may occur after a pulmonary infection that resolved with, or without, treatment. An extrapulmonary site only rarely is a site of reactivation (eg, skin, bone, brain).................
Based on confirmed cases, the annual incidence is less than 1 case per 100,000 people in Mississippi, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Wisconsin. Within the endemic areas (eg, Vilas County, Wisconsin), infection by hyperendemic foci is reported at an annual incidence rate of 40 per 100,000.
*Most symptoms conform to one of the following specific patterns:
-A flulike illness with fever, chills, myalgia, headache, and a nonproductive cough may occur, which resolves within days. Because of the brief and self-limited nature of these symptoms, blastomycosis may go undiagnosed except in the setting of a known outbreak.
-The patient may present with an acute illness resembling bacterial pneumonia, with symptoms of high fever, chills, a productive cough, and pleuritic chest pain. Sputum is mucopurulent or purulent.
-Chronic illness may occur and simulate tuberculosis or lung cancer, with symptoms of low-grade fever, a productive cough, night sweats, and weight loss. Sputum is mucopurulent or purulent, and hemoptysis may be present.
-The patient may present with a fast, progressive, and severe disease that manifests as ARDS, with fever, shortness of breath, tachypnea, hypoxemia, and diffuse pulmonary infiltrates"