Where is blastomycosis most common?
Blastomycosis occurs most often in people living in Ontario, Manitoba, and the south-central, south-eastern, and the mid-western United States.
Where is blastomycosis found?
The fungus lives in the environment, particularly in moist soil and in decomposing matter such as wood and leaves. Blastomyces mainly lives in areas of the United States and Canada surrounding the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys and the Great Lakes.
Where is blastomycosis endemic?
Blastomycosis. Blastomycosis is considered endemic to the south-central, southeastern, and midwestern US states, particularly those bordering the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and in parts of the United States and Canada surrounding the Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence River (2,5).
What are the preferred sites of blastomycosis?
Blastomycosis is an invasive infection caused by the dimorphic fungus Blastomyces dermatitidis, endemic to the north central and southern US, Canada, and parts of Africa. Most commonly involves the lungs.
How common is blastomycosis in humans?
How common is blastomycosis? Overall, blastomycosis is uncommon. Most cases occur in the United States and Canada. In states where blastomycosis is reportable, yearly incidence rates are approximately 1 to 2 cases per 100,000 population.
How do you prevent Blasto?
There is no vaccine to prevent blastomycosis, and it may not be possible to completely avoid being exposed to the fungus that causes blastomycosis in areas where it is common in the environment. People who have weakened immune systems may want to consider avoiding activities that involve disrupting soil in these areas.
Is blastomycosis contagious?
Is blastomycosis contagious? No. Blastomycosis can’t spread between people or between people and animals.
Can you see blastomycosis?
Blastomyces lives in the environment as a mold that produces fungal spores. The spores are too small to see without a microscope.
Can a dog get Blasto twice?
Relapse of blastomycosis tends to be more common when the fungus invades the nervous system, the testicles, or the eyes.
Where does blastomycosis live in the United States?
Blastomycosis is an infection caused by a fungus called Blastomyces. The fungus lives in the environment, particularly in moist soil and in decomposing matter such as wood and leaves. Blastomyces mainly lives in areas of the United States and Canada surrounding the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys and the Great Lakes.
Are there any tests to detect blastomycosis in the environment?
Also, there are no commercially-available tests to detect Blastomyces in the environment. Testing environmental samples for Blastomyces is currently only done for scientific research.
Can a person get blastomycosis from breathing in spores?
People can get blastomycosis after breathing in the microscopic fungal spores from the air. Although most people who breathe in the spores don’t get sick, some of those who do may have flu-like symptoms, and the infection can sometimes become serious if it is not treated. For other fungal topics, visit the fungal diseases homepage.
Where do outbreaks of Blastomyces and Histoplasma occur?
Thus, infections occur sporadically, with occasional point-source outbreaks in the localized geographic areas of endemicity defined by the natural habitat of Blastomyces, Histoplasma, and Coccidioides fungi ( 2 ).