Travel Bugs – Fungus Among Us

When considering traveling, working, or volunteering abroad, the responsible healthcare professional heads to the travel clinic to get updated on the typical vaccinations, such as tetanus, meningitis, and hepatitis. Depending where they'll wander, they may even get a yellow fever shot or a stock of malaria pills.

But what other bugs – whether rare or common – might one encounter, aside from the usual childhood diseases (e.g., mumps, measles, chicken pox) and other diseases familiar to North Americans (e.g., rabies, West Nile virus, Lyme disease, Norwalk virus, TB) …?

Today's "bug" to beware of is the fungus!

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Coccidioidomycosis (also known as "Valley Fever")

• How do you get it? – By inhaling fungal spores from dust generated when the earth is disturbed (e.g., through landscaping, construction, agriculture, etc.) or natural events (e.g., wind storms).

• What causes it? – The fungus Coccidioides immitis.

• What is it? – A fungal infection presenting as a flu-like illness (fever, headache, rash, muscle aches, dry cough, weight loss, and malaise), which in rare cases can result in severe lung disease or CNS or other problems.

• Where is it found? – It is endemic in areas of the Americas with an arid climate, yearly rainfall of 5-20 inches, hot summers, winters with few freezes, and alkaline soils. Thus it can be found in the USA (Arizona, Southern California, New Mexico, Western Texas, and parts of Utah), and in parts of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Venezuela.

• Prevention? – No vaccine is available. Prevention measures include dust-control and avoiding exposure to outdoor dust in disease areas.

Histoplasmosis

• How do you get it? – By inhaling the fungal spores from soil contaminated by bat or bird droppings.

• What causes it? – The fungus Histoplasma capsulatum.

• What is it? – A fungal infection, which in 90% of cases is asymptomatic or presents mild flu-like symptoms. It can cause acute pulmonary histoplasmosis, manifested by high-grade fever, headache, nonproductive cough, chills, weakness, and pleuritic chest pain.

• Where is it found? – Everywhere, except Antarctica.

• Prevention? – No vaccine is available. Prevention measures include dust-control and avoiding exposure to outdoor dust in disease areas.

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Check back for other items in our Travel Bugs series:

• Travel Bugs – Beware the Bite!

• Travel Bugs – Gotta "Fly"?

• Travel Bugs – This Will Bug You!

• Travel Bugs – Don't Drink the Water! (Part I)

• Travel Bugs – Don't Drink the Water! (Part II)

• Travel Bugs – Don't Drink the Water! (Part III)

• Travel Bugs – Miscellaneous Menaces

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