About Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis occurs most often in people living in the central and southeastern United States, particularly in the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys and the Great Lakes states. In Minnesota, blastomycosis is more common in St. Louis, Itasca, and Beltrami counties.

In addition to surveillance of cases in humans, the Minnesota Department of Health and the Board of Animal Health are also studying blastomycosis in dogs to better define areas in the state where the disease is found. Canine cases are more numerous than human cases and the location where the dog was exposed can often be more easily identified.

on this page:
Transmission
Symptoms
Duration of Illness
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Fact Sheet

Transmission

  • Blastomycosis is caused by inhaling airborne spores into the lungs after contaminated soil is disturbed by activities such as excavation, construction, digging, or wood clearing.

  • You can only get blastomycosis from the fungus that is in soil or spores in the air.

  • It is not spread from person-to-person or from animal-to-person.

Symptoms

Symptoms of blastomycosis may include:

  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Cough with blood
  • Shortness of breath
  • Muscle aches
  • Bone pain
  • Back pain
  • Chest pain
  • Fatigue
  • Weight loss
  • Skin sores

The time between exposure and when symptoms develop varies widely, ranging from 21 to 100 days. The signs and symptoms of blastomycosis vary among individuals. About 50% of infections are asymptomatic (person does not develop any symptoms or disease) or resolve without treatment . Some patients develop a chronic lung infection or the disease can spread to other areas of the body (skin, bones, genitourinary system, or central nervous system).


Duration of Illness

  • The duration of illness caused by blastomycosis varies greatly between patients.

Diagnosis

Blastomycosis may be diagnosed by:

  • Culture (Blastomyces can be isolated from saliva, bronchial washes, lung biopsies, skin, or other infected tissues)
  • Smear (Direct microscopic identification of broad-based budding yeast)
  • Histopathology of surgical biopsies
  • Radiology (Chest X-ray, bone X-ray)
  • Serology (Not generally reliable)

Your doctor may also ask about your history of residence or exposure in geographical areas where blastomycosis is common.

Treatment

  • Blastomycosis can be treated with anti-fungal medications.
    • Anti-fungal treatment is usually continued for 6 months and recovery is usually complete.

  • Specific questions about treatment should be discussed with your health care provider.

Prevention

  • There are no known practical measures for the prevention of blastomycosis.
    Illness caused by blastomycosis can be minimized by early recognition and appropriate treatment of the disease.


Fact Sheet

  • Blastomycosis
    CDC technical fact sheet on blastomycosis. Attention: Non-MDH link

 

 

 

Updated Tuesday, 16-Nov-2010 12:21:04 CST