Blastomycosis (Gilchrist's disease) is a fungal infection caused by the organism Blastomyces dermatitidis. Endemic to portions of North America, blastomycosis causes clinical symptoms similar to histoplasmosis.
Causes:
* Shortness of breath
* Sweating
* Fever
* Fatigue
* General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill-feeling (malaise)
* Unintentional weight loss
* Joint stiffness and joint pain
* Muscle stiffness and pain
* Rash
* Skin lesions
* Chest pain
Diagnosis:
* History of living in an area where the fungus is commonly found
* Chest x-ray
* Tissue biopsy
* Skin biopsy
* Sputum culture and special stains
Treatment:
Itraconazole given orally is the treatment of choice for most forms of the disease. Cure rates are high, and the treatment over a period of months is usually well tolerated. Amphotericin B is considerably more toxic, and is usually reserved for critically ill patients and those with central nervous system disease.
Causes:
Blastomycosis occurs in people living in the south-central and midwestern United States and Canada. The infection is seen in 1-2 out of every 100,000 people in areas where the fungus most frequently occurs. It is even less common outside those areas.
Being around infected soil is the key risk factor.
The disease usually affects people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV or organ transplant recipients. Men are more likely to be affected than women.
Lung infection may produce no symptoms, but when the infection spreads, skin lesions or bone lesions may appear and the bladder, kidney, prostate, and testes may be affected.
Symptoms:
* Cough (may produce brown or bloody mucus)Being around infected soil is the key risk factor.
The disease usually affects people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV or organ transplant recipients. Men are more likely to be affected than women.
Lung infection may produce no symptoms, but when the infection spreads, skin lesions or bone lesions may appear and the bladder, kidney, prostate, and testes may be affected.
Symptoms:
* Shortness of breath
* Sweating
* Fever
* Fatigue
* General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill-feeling (malaise)
* Unintentional weight loss
* Joint stiffness and joint pain
* Muscle stiffness and pain
* Rash
* Skin lesions
* Chest pain
Diagnosis:
* History of living in an area where the fungus is commonly found
* Chest x-ray
* Tissue biopsy
* Skin biopsy
* Sputum culture and special stains
Treatment:
Itraconazole given orally is the treatment of choice for most forms of the disease. Cure rates are high, and the treatment over a period of months is usually well tolerated. Amphotericin B is considerably more toxic, and is usually reserved for critically ill patients and those with central nervous system disease.
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