Deep endemic mycoses

Extract

• Endemic fungi are soil-based fungi occurring in limited geographical regions capable of infecting not only the local inhabitants but also basically healthy travellers visiting the region.
• It is possible to contract at least histoplasmosis and coccidioidomycosis even during a short visit, and no lengthy stay in the endemic area is required.
• These are rare infections encountered in travellers, and the symptoms usually involve the respiratory tract but other sites of involvement may include, for example, the skin and bones.
• The respiratory tract symptoms may range from a flulike illness to pneumonia.
• Immunosuppressed patients are prone to mycoses, and the clinical picture may be severe.
• Systemic infections resulting from the reactivation of the fungus have been described upon starting immunosuppressive treatment (e.g. a TNF-alpha inhibitor).
• The infection may sometimes become active even decades after the infection.

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Search terms

B38*, B39*, B40*, B41*, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Coccidioides immitis, Coccidioidomycosis, Endemic mycoses, Histoplasma capsulatum, Immunosuppression, Infectious diseases, Mycoses, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Pneumonia, Travel medicine, Tropical Medicine, Tropical diseases, Tropics, amphotericin B, bat droppings, bird droppings, blastomycosis, histoplasmosis, itraconazole, paracoccidioidomycosis