State warns of blastomycosis increase

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State warns of blastomycosis increase

Fungal disease numbers up; reason unclear

Wausau Daily Herald - Wausau,WI*

By Amy Olson • Wausau Daily Herald • September 12, 2008

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20080912/WDH0101/809120623/1981

State health officials issued a warning today advising Wisconsin

residents to be on the lookout for an increasingly common and

potentially fatal fungal infection.

Cases of blastomycosis have increased in Wisconsin since 2003,

though health officials are unsure why. The greatest numbers of

cases have been reported in northern Wisconsin counties, said

Marquis, a spokeswoman for the state's Department of

Health Services. Between Jan. 1, 2005, and Dec. 31, 2007, 428 cases

were reported. Of those, 267 people were hospitalized.

Thirty-one deaths associated with the disease also were reported

during that period, Marquis said. Most of the people who died had

other health conditions that could have weakened their immune

systems, she said.

The cases were not considered part of an outbreak, with the

exception of 21 people who became ill in Lincoln County in 2006.

It is unclear what factors are involved in the increase, Marquis

said. Doctors could be more aware of the disease's presence and

therefore are testing for and detecting blastomycosis more

frequently. It's also possible more people have become sickened

through exposure to the organism because the growing conditions have

been just right.

Scientists have struggled to figure out the conditions under which

the fungus grows and releases spores, which can cause infection if

inhaled or they somehow enter the skin. It can take 30 to 45 days

after exposure for people to feel sick, said Terri Dums, infection

prevention and control manager at Saint ph's Hospital in

Marshfield.

Unfortunately, there are no preventive measures people can take,

beyond being aware of symptoms.

" Blastomycosis may be misdiagnosed and treated as pneumonia, " said

, state epidemiologist for communicable diseases. He

advised people with persistent pneumonia-like symptoms that do not

respond to antibiotics to talk with their doctors about getting

tested for blastomycosis.

Fortunately, antifungal medications often are effective at treating

the illness, which is not contagious, Dums said.

Greater awareness is helping physicians detect the disease, said

Jeanine Bresnahan, infection control manager for Aspirus Wausau

Hospital.

The general public seems to be more aware, too, said Dr.

, medical director for Marshfield Clinic's northern division.

She recalled having three patients on ventilators one winter 15

years ago while battling the disease.

" I think people are much more educated about blasto, " said,

adding that more people are adept at recognizing the illness in

dogs, which alerts them to the possibility of human exposure.