Blastomycosis

Question 1

What is blastomycosis?

Answer 1

A fungal infection that causes respiratory problems and can cause significat pulmonary disease.

Question 2

What can causes blastomycosis?

Answer 2

B. dermatitidis (dimorphic pathogen, mould in environment, yeast in tissues)

Question 3

What species (animal) is most commonly effected by blastomycosis?

Answer 3

The dog (generally working/ hunting dogs as can be found in the soil)

Question 4

What are the symptoms of blastomycosis?

Answer 4

Symptoms of a lung infection- resp. distress, difficulty in breathing, nasal discharge, mucous production etc.
Can also effect the skin, bones, eyes and CNS.

Can also get more general symptoms- flu like such as pyrexia, diarrhoae, vomiting, fever etc.
Enlarged lymph nodes- normally one/few and generally occurs in 30-50% of cases (Kahn 2010)

Question 5

How would you diagnose blastomycosis?

Answer 5

Thoracic imaging- look at chest and see if lesions, which are gen found in 80-90% cases (Kahn 2010)
Cytology/Histology of affected tissues- general inflam. or samage of lungs
CBC and serum chemistry analysis
Ag/Ab tests (ELISA)

Question 6

What is used to treat blastomycosis?

Answer 6

Antifungal treatments such as Itraconazole and fluconazole (Kahn 2010)

Antifungal are good but huge problem with toxicity of the treatment specially to do with kidney (e.g. amphotorcin B IV is used if blastomycosis if life threatening but has most toxicity problems)