Death toll from tropical fungus reaches

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Wednesday, November 24, 2004 · Last updated 6:25 a.m. PT

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Death toll from tropical fungus reaches four on Vancouver Island

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

VICTORIA, British Columbia -- Four people, dozens of dogs and cats,

11 porpoises and a horse have died from a rare tropical fungus since

it was detected on Vancouver Island in 1999, a study has concluded.

The research by an international team that scientists from the

University of British Columbia and British Columbia Center for

Disease Control also concluded that 101 island residents and

visitors have been infected by the rare cryptococcus gattii fungus.

According to their report in the journal Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences, the fungus is 37 times more infectious on the

Island than in Australia, where it has long been prevalent.

The fungus causes a potentially life-threatening infection of the

lungs and central nervous system. Invisible airborne spores from the

fungus have been detected over more than 125 miles from to

Courtenay on the east side of the island.

One fungus survivor, Ken , 53, of Duncan, a former sawmill

worker, said Tuesday he knew something was wrong about two years ago

when he began experiencing persistent lethargy, sweating and a

strange cough.

Only after seeing a television evening news report on the fungus and

asking his doctor to check did he learn what was wrong, said.

" I was 51 at the time and I certainly had a fair amount of energy, "

he said. " All of a sudden I was very, very tired. I could barely

make it through the day without having a midday nap.

" I had night sweats, " said , " sometimes having to change the

bedding a couple times a night. I had headaches. I had a funny

tickle in my chest-throat area, and it just wasn't normal for me to

have that. "

Scientists said there was no cause for panic, nor should outdoor

activity be restricted.

" It's a rare disease. It's treatable and the majority of the cases

are in older people over the age of 65, who have other underlying

conditions, " said Dr. Kendall, British Columbia's provincial

health officer.

Doctors and veterinarians now more aware of the fungus than in 1999,

Kendall added.

" Now people with unexplained fevers or lung lesions for which

there's no obvious cause, the physicians are thinking cryptococcus

gattii a little bit sooner than they would have otherwise, " he said.