Patient education: Histoplasmosis (The Basics)

What is histoplasmosis? — 

This is an infection caused by a fungus. The fungus that causes histoplasmosis lives in soil that contains bird or bat droppings. It can travel in dust specks that a person can breathe in.

Most people who get histoplasmosis get better without treatment.

The fungus that causes histoplasmosis is found in many places, including:

●Midwestern and central states in the US, along the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys

●Some states along the east coast of the US

●Mexico, and Central and South America

●Parts of eastern and southern Europe, Africa, eastern Asia, and Australia

Most people living in areas where the histoplasmosis fungus is found never get sick. But infections can happen, especially in people who have trouble fighting infection or those who are exposed to a large amount of the fungus, such as farm or construction workers or people who visit caves (called "spelunkers").

Histoplasmosis usually affects the lungs. In rare cases, the infection can spread throughout the body, especially in people whose immune system is not working well.

What are the symptoms of histoplasmosis? — 

Often, histoplasmosis causes no symptoms.

When symptoms do occur, they can happen weeks to months after the person is exposed to the fungus. Symptoms can include:

●Fever

●Chills

●Headache

●Muscle aches

●Loss of appetite

●Trouble breathing

●Cough

●Chest pain when taking a deep breath

●Aching joints (sometimes with a skin rash)

If you have these symptoms, your doctor might do a chest X-ray to look at your lungs. The X-ray can help your doctor decide if you might have histoplasmosis or something else.

Is there a test for histoplasmosis? — 

Yes. If your doctor or nurse suspects that you have histoplasmosis, they might do tests to look for signs of the infection. These can include blood or urine tests, and tests on a sample of mucus that you cough up. There is also a test that involves putting a tube into your lungs to get a sample of fluid or tissue.

How is histoplasmosis treated? — 

Histoplasmosis does not always need to be treated. If you are fairly healthy, your doctor or nurse might want to wait and see if you can fight off the infection on your own. They will want to see you a few times to make sure that you are getting better.

For people who do need treatment, medicines called "anti-fungals" can kill the fungus that causes histoplasmosis. Some people need to take these for months or even years. This includes people:

●With HIV infection

●Who had an organ transplant

●With cancers of the blood

●Who take medicines called "steroids" or other medicines that partly "turn off" the immune system

How can I help prevent histoplasmosis? — 

If you live in an area where histoplasmosis occurs, you can reduce your chances of getting the infection if you:

●Do not disturb the soil in areas where birds roost.

●Do not visit areas where buildings have been demolished.

●Do not explore caves.