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Biological Analysis of Fungi and Associated Molds
Published in Christopher S. Cox, Christopher M. Wathes, Bioaerosols Handbook, 2020
Histoplasmosis, caused by the dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, is sometimes fatal to man and animals, and is apparently acquired by the airborne route. A benign form of this disease also occurs. It has been isolated from air inside and outside chicken houses by means of a novel and highly selective technique in which particles were washed from the air by “venturi scrubbers” (intended for use industrially for cleaning air), the solid material collected by filtration, resuspended in saline with bactericidal antibiotics and injected into mice intraperitoneally. Four weeks after inoculation, the mice were sacrificed and liver, spleen and adrenals, after sterile maceration, were plated out onto antibiotic containing culture media suitable for H. capsulatum on which colonies grew.97 Microscopic examinations of clinical material are unrewarding. A recommended culture medium is brain heart infusion-cycloheximide-chloramphenicol(BHI-CC) and BHI-CC fortified with 6% blood.96 Skin tests with histoplasmin may be inconclusive.
Pulmonary infection induced by drugs
Published in Philippe Camus, Edward C Rosenow, Drug-induced and Iatrogenic Respiratory Disease, 2010
Marc B Feinstein, Dorothy A White
A number of authors have implicated other pulmonary opportunistic infections among patients taking TNF antagonists, including Aspergillus fumigatus pneumonia, histoplasmosis, Pneumocystis pneumonia and pulmonary cryptococcosis.43–46 Histoplasmosis is an infection by Histoplasma capsulatum, a fungus endemic to the Ohio River Valley, the Caribbean and Central America. It has been estimated that 20 per cent of the US population has been exposed to H. capsulatum. Clinical manifestation may result from an acute infection, reactivation of a latent infection, or reinfection. Lee et al. reported 10 cases of H. capsulatum infection occurring within 6 months of beginning TNF blockade, one of which was fatal.45 Nine of these patients had been treated with infliximab and one etanercept, but all had been taking other forms of immunosuppression concurrent with the TNF antagonists. The rate of clinically significant Histoplasma infections among patients receiving TNF antagonists has been estimated to be 16.7 per 100 000 patients – less than that seen with tuberculosis, but higher than in the general population.47
Pathogenic Microbes
Published in Kathleen Hess-Kosa, Indoor Air Quality, 2018
Histoplasmosis, caused by inhalation of the mold conidia of H. capsulatum (see Figure 6.2), results in a variety of clinical manifestations. Primary histoplasmosis is a common, region-oriented, benign disease of the lungs involving a mild or asymptomatic pulmonary infection characterized by a cough, fever, and malaise. Patients with chronic infections may go on to experience a productive cough, low-grade fever, and a chest X-ray showing cavitation. Because the cavitation resembles tuberculosis, however, many cases are misdiagnosed. A small percentage of patients (less than 1%) who have symptoms develop the progressive form of histoplasmosis, which can be lethal.
Updated assessment of occupational safety and health hazards of climate change
Published in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 2023
P. A. Schulte, B. L. Jacklitsch, A. Bhattacharya, H. Chun, N. Edwards, K. C. Elliott, M. A. Flynn, R. Guerin, L. Hodson, J. M. Lincoln, K. L. MacMahon, S. Pendergrass, J. Siven, J. Vietas
Other fungal allergic reactions and diseases may be caused by contact with trees or animal droppings. Maple bark disease is a hypersensitivity pneumonitis illness caused by a fungus, Cryptostroma corticale, found on maple trees infested with sooty bark disease (Braun et al. 2021). This fungus thrives in hot summers and on trees impacted by drought, and thus it is expected to spread in some areas placing more outdoor workers at risk of exposure. Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection often associated with working in areas with bird or bat droppings, or areas where there are spores in the soil (Benedict et al. 2017). Demolition or construction where the spores in the soil are disturbed may place workers at risk for exposure. The fungus is being found in new regions, and climate change is believed to be partially responsible (Benedict et al. 2017; Gnat et al. 2021).