"Histoplasmosis is caused by Histoplasma, a fungus that lives in the soil, particularly where there’s a large amount of bird or bat poop. The infection ranges from mild to life-threatening. It can be misdiagnosed because its symptoms are similar to those of other illnesses, like pneumonia caused by bacteria. Here are some important things to know about histoplasmosis.
Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection that can affect anyone. It usually impacts the lungs and causes pneumonia but also can affect other parts of the body. Learning about histoplasmosis can help you stay healthy and recognize symptoms early if you do get the infection.
Common Symptoms Can Lead to Delayed Diagnosis
Symptoms of histoplasmosis include:
- Fever
- Cough
- Fatigue (extreme tiredness)
- Chills
- Headache
- Chest pain
- Body aches
These symptoms usually appear between 3 and 17 days after breathing in the fungus. Because other diseases have similar symptoms, patients can experience delays in getting correctly diagnosed and treated.
Anyone can get infected, but most people who breathe in the fungus that causes histoplasmosis have no symptoms or only mild ones. Some people never know they’ve had histoplasmosis until a CT scan, X-ray, or other imaging test shows spots on their lungs. These spots can look identical to lung cancer, leading to unnecessary costs and emotional stress associated with finding the right diagnosis.
However, it is important to know that some people can develop severe histoplasmosis and get very sick. This includes:
- People who have existing health problems or take medicines that lower the body’s ability to fight germs and sickness (or people with weakened immune systems), and
- People who are exposed to a large amount of the fungus.
A severe infection must be treated with prescription antifungal medicine.
If you have symptoms and suspect that you might have histoplasmosis, ask your doctor to test you for it..."
Histoplasmosis
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