{"id":7980,"date":"2023-02-04T11:07:38","date_gmt":"2023-02-04T18:07:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mattfife.com\/?p=7980"},"modified":"2023-02-12T08:48:59","modified_gmt":"2023-02-12T15:48:59","slug":"lung-granulomas-and-histoplasmosis-looks-to-be-rampant-in-the-midwest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mattfife.com\/?p=7980","title":{"rendered":"Lung Granulomas and Histoplasmosis looks to be rampant in the Midwest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Histoplasma<\/em> is one of the three main species of soil fungi that cause lung infections in the U.S. Historically, Histoplasma<\/em> was found in the Midwest and parts of the East, Coccidioides<\/em> in the Southwest, and Blastomyces<\/em> in the Midwest and the South. But a growing number of case reports and anecdotes suggest that all three have expanded out of their traditional ranges in recent decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFungal infections are much more common than people realize, and they\u2019re spreading,\u201d Spec said. \u201cThe scientific community has underinvested in studying and developing treatments for fungal infections. I think that\u2019s beginning to change, but slowly. It\u2019s important for the medical community to realize these fungi are essentially everywhere these days and that we need to take them seriously and include them in considering diagnoses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The three main species of fungi that cause lung infections in the U.S. \u2014 Histoplasma (red), Blastomyces (blue) and Coccidioides (green) \u2014 have all expanded their ranges in recent decades. These maps were created based on data from 1955 (top row) and 2007-2016 (bottom row). Reliance on outdated maps may lead to delayed or missed diagnoses.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n
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People develop fungal lung infections after breathing in spores from fungi in the soil. The spores become airborne when the ground is disturbed by farming, landscaping, construction or even just by people walking around in fungi-rich environments such as caves. Most healthy adults and children can fight off a fungal infection handily, but infants, older adults and people with compromised immune systems may develop fever, cough, fatigue and other symptoms. Fungal lung infections easily can be mistaken for bacterial or viral lung infections such as COVID-19, bacterial pneumonia and tuberculosis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople with fungal lung infection often spend weeks trying to get the right diagnosis and appropriate treatment, and the whole time they\u2019re feeling terrible,\u201d said lead author Patrick B. Mazi, MD<\/a>, a clinical fellow in infectious diseases. \u201cThey usually have multiple health-care visits with multiple opportunities for testing and diagnosis, but the doctor just doesn\u2019t consider a fungal infection until they\u2019ve exhausted all other possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lung Granulomas and bacterial infections<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Granulomas<\/a> are small lumps of immune cells that form in your body in areas where there is infection or inflammation. They\u2019re most commonly found in your lungs, but they can also be in other areas of your head and body. Doctors believe that they block the spread of organisms such as bacteria and fungi through your body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Granulomas themselves don\u2019t usually have noticeable symptoms. But the conditions that cause them, such as sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, histoplasmosis<\/strong>, and others, may create symptoms. Some of these include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n