CDC reveals rare fungus in Wisconsin killed one person and hospitalized two

One person died and two were hospitalized following an outbreak of a rare fungal infection in Wisconsin last year.

The cluster of cases was caused by Blastomyces, a microscopic species of fungus that lives in moist soil and breaks down wood and leaves.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — which uncovered the outbreak last week — has told doctors in the Midwest and South to be on “alert” to the infection.

Blastomyces — which infects about 6,700 Americans each year and kills 60 — causes a lung infection that can cause fever, cough, chest pain, fatigue and night sweats.

In severe cases, the spores can spread from the lungs to other parts of the body, including bones, joints, and even the brain and spinal cord.

A total of four people and five dogs were diagnosed with the infection in western Wisconsin’s St Croix County in February 2022.

The CDC was first alerted to the cases in which four dogs living within a mile of each other all tested positive for the yeast infection.

Officials then sent out an alert to doctors, vets and local residents to watch out for blastomycosis symptoms.

They noted that the disease was often diagnosed in people who engaged in physical activity near waterways.

Investigators linked the infections to a rural trail that ran through the neighborhood where the cases were reported.

The mold alarm, revealed in the Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Reports (MMWR)comes amid concerns about rising cases of the deadly fungus C. auris in the United States – with hospital-acquired infections tripling in recent years.

The World Health Organization (WHO) also warned that fungal infections are becoming a ‘major threat’ to public health.

Some experts argue that molds are becoming more common worldwide as the changing climate makes environments more suitable for them.

Blastomycosis is caused by the fungus blastomyces that usually hides in moist forest areas in the eastern half of the United States.

It is most common around the Mississippi river valleys, Great Lakes, Ohio, and St. Lawrence River.

Humans can become infected after inhaling spores released when they disturb soil or leaf litter, with the first symptoms appearing three weeks to three months later.

Mild cases usually resolve on their own, but in severe infections, doctors may treat patients with antifungal drugs — such as itraconazole — which disrupt the wall of fungal cells, causing cell leakage and eventually death.

However, patients prescribed these drugs must take them for up to a year to cure the infection.

The fungus causes about 6,700 cases and 60 deaths each year. Data shows that up to one in 10 cases is fatal in some states.

But in recent years, there have been signs that outbreaks of the fungus are on the rise in the United States.

Minnesota is one of the states reporting that while the number of cases has risen, the death rate has also risen from nine to 23 percent of patients between 1999 and 2021.

The most recent outbreak was the first to hit Wisconsin in more than a decade.