Post by Brian Roebuck on Dec 16, 2007 8:47:35 GMT -5
Contagious histoplasmosis only found in soil
Q: I learned through the grapevine you are helping a wonderful golden retriever, Ellie, to recover from a fungal infection that was most likely caused by sniffing bird droppings around a bird feeder. Is this a condition the public should be concerned about?
- John Ewers, Decatur
A: You are referring to histoplasmosis, a fungal organism frequently harbored by birds. Bird droppings often carry the microscopic organism.
Most people in the Midwest and Eastern United States show positive tests for the disease, which only means they have been exposed to the fungus. Normal, healthy people are at low risk for developing signs of the disease, unlike people with poor immunity such as those harboring some sort of chronic disease such as diabetes. Certain occupations and hobbies present more risk than others, such as bridge inspectors, farmers, gardeners, cave explorers and anyone who is apt to inhale histoplasmosis spores in the air due to the fact that they are around bird or bat droppings.
www.herald-review.com/articles/2007/12/16/columnists/ask_alex/1028606.txt
Q: I learned through the grapevine you are helping a wonderful golden retriever, Ellie, to recover from a fungal infection that was most likely caused by sniffing bird droppings around a bird feeder. Is this a condition the public should be concerned about?
- John Ewers, Decatur
A: You are referring to histoplasmosis, a fungal organism frequently harbored by birds. Bird droppings often carry the microscopic organism.
Most people in the Midwest and Eastern United States show positive tests for the disease, which only means they have been exposed to the fungus. Normal, healthy people are at low risk for developing signs of the disease, unlike people with poor immunity such as those harboring some sort of chronic disease such as diabetes. Certain occupations and hobbies present more risk than others, such as bridge inspectors, farmers, gardeners, cave explorers and anyone who is apt to inhale histoplasmosis spores in the air due to the fact that they are around bird or bat droppings.
www.herald-review.com/articles/2007/12/16/columnists/ask_alex/1028606.txt