Tropical lung

Tropical lung

1. Histoplasmosis

   • Fungus Histoplasma.
     • Lives particularly in soil that contains large amounts of bird or bat droppings.
   • Appears between 3 -17 days after breathing in the fungal spores.
     • Fever, malaise, cough, headache
     • Chest pain, chills, and myalgias.
   • Antigen detection in urine and/or serum is the most widely used and most sensitive method for diagnosing.
     • Other methods: antibody tests, culture, and microscopy.

2. Paracoccidiodes

   • Fungus Paracoccidioides
     • Not spread from person to person
     • People get it after breathing in the fungus
   • Usually affects the lungs and skin
     • Weight loss, swollen lymph nodes, cough
     • Lesions in the mouth and throat
     • Fever, shortness of breath, fatigue, enlarged liver and spleen
   • Chest X-ray, blood tes, biopsy
     • Fungal culture or examined under the microscope

3. Coccidioidomicosis

   • Present 1 to 3 weeks after exposure.
     • Fatigue, cough, dyspnea, headache, night sweats, myalgias, and rash.
   • Fungus Coccidioides.
     • Acquired via inhalation of airborne arthroconidia, often after disturbance of contaminated soil
   • Serologic tests to detect IgM and IgG antibodies
     • Others: PCR, culture and microscopy

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