Who discovered Blastomyces dermatitidis?
Gilchrist first described blastomycosis in Baltimore in the 1890s as a skin infection caused by a protozoan organism (3), and the illness was known for a time as Gilchrist’s disease.
Is Blastomyces dermatitidis a mold?
Blastomyces dermatitidis, a thermally dimorphic fungus, causes blastomycosis. This fungus exists as a mold at room temperature in the laboratory and in the environment; it is a yeast at 37°C in the laboratory and in human tissues.
What does blastomycosis do to your body?
Blastomyces enters the body through the lungs and causes a lung infection, usually pneumonia. From the lungs, the fungus can spread to other areas of the body including your skin, bones, joints and central nervous system. This disease is rare and more commonly affects people involved with outdoor activities.
Is blastomycosis serious?
Blastomycosis is an uncommon, but potentially serious fungal infection. It primarily affects the lungs, and is caused by the fungus Blastomyces dermatitidis. The signs and symptoms of illness that can result from exposure to this soil organism are variable.
Is blastomycosis curable?
Blastomycosis should be treated by medical caregivers, not by self-care at home. Medical treatment is done with long-term (six to 12 months) antifungal drugs. Blastomycosis follow-up is very important to obtain the proper treatment and to check for reinfection by the fungus.
What type of disease is blastomycosis?
Blastomycosis is a rare fungal infection usually acquired by breathing in the spores of the fungi Blastomyces dermatitidis or Blastomyces gilchristii. These fungi can be found in moist soils, particularly in wooded areas and along waterways.
Where does blastomycosis come from?
Blastomycosis is an infection caused by a fungus called Blastomyces. The fungus lives in the environment, particularly in moist soil and in decomposing matter such as wood and leaves.
What is Blastomyces dermatitidis?
Blastomyces dermatitidis is the causal agent of blastomycosis, an invasive and often serious fungal infection found occasionally in humans and other animals in regions where the fungus is endemic. The causal organism is a fungus living in soil and wet, decaying wood, often in an area close to a waterway such as a lake, river or stream.
Is Blastomyces infection a mimic of other diseases?
Thus, Blastomyces infection may mimic other diseases, and the diagnosis may be delayed. Some patients go on to chronic disease with cavitation or progressive pulmonary blastomycosis, which manifests as acute respiratory distress syndrome, cavitary lesions, and a poor prognosis [ 247 ].
What is the pathophysiology of blastomycotic meningitis?
CNS invasion is heralded by meningitis, although some patients develop blastomycoma (focal abscesses). The CSF in blastomycotic meningitis shows a pleocytosis, either with a lymphocyte or neutrophil predominance, as well as elevated protein and low glucose levels. 68,69 Cultures are notoriously unreliable and most often negative.
What is the best treatment for B dermatitidis?
What is the best treatment? Patients who have severe pulmonary or disseminated infection with B. dermatitidis should be treated initially with an amphotericin B (AmB) formulation. This includes patients who have central nervous system (CNS) disease and those who are immunosuppressed.