Histoplasmosis from the Governer's Mansion in Iowa

[Guest guest]

FYI, this is the first time I have ever seen histoplasmosis tied to a

remodel.

Sharon

Lung Ailment Hits Lung Assoc. Members

The Associated Press*

By HENRY C. JACKSON

_http://ap.google.http://ap.gohttp://ap.http:_

(http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jey-Tz5O-)

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An outbreak of a sometimes dangerous lung

ailment that affected an unlikely group — associates of the American

Lung Association — probably stemmed from a meeting they attended at

the Iowa governor's mansion, officials say.

Doctors began reporting cases of histoplasmosis, an unusual but

treatable lung disease caused by a fungus this year, and eventually

there were 36 confirmed cases and 12 probable ones.

After several dead ends, the investigation led to the 139-year-old

governor's mansion, called Terrace Hill, just west of downtown Des

Moines.

While the initial cases of histoplasmosis involved people associated

with the American Lung Association'with the American Lung Associat

had visited the group's headquarters. They had, however, attended an

association event at the governor's mansion on Nov. 29.

" Those people had only one thing in common, and that was Terrace

Hill, " said Quinlisk, the state's chief

epidemiologist. " Other things happened, linked them, but they seemed

to drop away. There was a correlation.t

Neither Gov. Chet Culver nor his wife, Mari Culver, attended the

gathering, but both were tested and found not to have the condition.

While the mansion is suspect No. 1, final test results for the cause

of the outbreak were still pending.

" We are waiting for the test results so we can say, 'Aha, it really

was there, " Quinlisk said.

The ailment is caused by an airborne fungus from bird or bat

droppings, sometimes kicked up during remodeling of an old building.

Officials have noted that there was some construction at Terrace

Hill around the time of the Lung Association event. That might have

been enough of a disturbance to put the offending spores in the air.

The ornate mansion, built in 1869, has served as the official

governor's residence since 1977.

Officials said the investigation has been long but in some ways

beneficial.

" We had some folks get fairly sick, " said Tom Newton, the director

of the state Public Health Department. " They needed to get on anti-

fungal drugs and in some cases are still recovering. But it is a

teachable moment. ... It gives us a chance to test our public health

system and to learn from it. "

The respiratory ailment passes as flu-like symptoms in most people

but can be fatal, particularly to those with suppressed immune

systems.

One of the nation's largest histoplasmosis epidemics occurred in

1978, when more than 100,000 people in Indianapolis were affected,

about 300 so seriously that they were sent to hospitals. Fifteen

people died. The fungus was believed to have been in the soil and

hurled into the air at a construction site.

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