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Rare fungal infection blastomycosis is spreading in US, study says

Rare fungal infection blastomycosis is spreading in US, study says
January 31, 2024



A recent study reveals that the rare fungal infection known as blastomycosis, typically found in the Midwest and southeastern United States, has now emerged in an unusual region, Vermont. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, blastomycosis shares similarities with other respiratory infections and is commonly found in moist soil and decomposing matter such as wood and leaves. The study found that Vermont’s blastomycosis rate, with an average of 1.8 cases per 100,000 people annually, is second only to Wisconsin, which has the highest rate at 2.1 cases per 100,000 people. Currently, only five states, including Arkansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, have public health surveillance for blastomycosis. Consequently, information regarding the disease in other states is limited. Dr. Brian Borah, who led the CDC study in Vermont, revealed that the research identified 114 blastomycosis cases between 2011 and 2020, with 59% being male. While the study could not provide a clear explanation for the higher number of male cases, it did highlight the north-central Vermont counties of Lamoille, Orleans, and Washington as the areas with the highest reported instances of blastomycosis. The reasons for this concentration of cases are still under investigation.Rare fungal infection blastomycosis is spreading in US, study saysDoes blastomycosis have treatment options?”There are diagnostic tests and anti-fungal treatments available for both humans and pets that are experiencing symptoms.,” Gibbons-Burgener said.Wisconsin cases of blastomycosis in dogsIn Feb. 2022, a veterinarian in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, told the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services that four dogs were diagnosed with blastomycosis. Three weeks later, two human cases were reported in the same area, according to a report from the CDC.”About half of the people and dogs who are infected don’t have any symptoms,” Gibbons-Burgener said. “Symptoms of blastomycosis are similar to other lung infections and can be mild or severe.”Blastomycosis is rare, but not a contagious disease”The fungus is not spread from animal to person, person to animal, or person to person.” Gibbons-Burgener said.Blastomycoses has similar symptoms to pneumonia, involving the lungs and resporty system, but also has uncommon symptoms.”Some of the other less common presentations include skin manifestations, so people can have skin lesions. More rarely, patients can have lesions within their bones. The infection can sometimes even involve the central nervous system or the brain,” Borah said. “While this is a rare disease, and some people don’t have any symptoms, it can still be a fatal disease. There are still people that die from this disease every year.”Can the climate affect the spread of the disease?Gibbons-Burgener explains that the fungus grows and produces the infectious spores under specific conditions of humidity, temperature and nutrition. In Wisconsin, the fungus most commonly grows along waterways or in wooded areas where the rich and moist soil hasn’t been moved for a long period of time.”The risk of blastomycosis is thought to be higher in warmer months because fungal spores are more likely to form when the ground is not frozen,” Gibbons-Burgener said. “Risk of exposure in Wisconsin is likely highest May through October.”According to Gibbons-Burgener, spores can survive in the soil for several weeks and are more likely to be present after being moistened from rain or falling river or flood waters. To reduce your risk of exposure, wearing respiratory protection and limiting activity while engaging in landscaping, hiking, camping or excavation that disrupt contaminated soil or decaying materials in advised.What should the public know about blastomycosis?”People and pets with healthy immune systems are unlikely to have a reoccurrence of blastomycosis after recovering from their first illness.” Gibbons-Burgener said.According to Gibbons-Burgener, 11% of patients who are diagnosed with moderate to severe blastomycosis die each year.”This disease is probably more common in Vermont than was previously thought and perhaps in other states as well.” Borah said. “I think it’s important that clinicians be aware and to have this diagnosis in their list of possibilities when they’re seeing patients.”

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