Blastomycosis - Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

Causes

Blastomycosis occurs most often in people living in the south-central and midwestern US and Canada. Exposure to soil is the key risk factor. It is usually affects people with compromised immune systems, such as people with HIV or organ transplant recipients. Men are more likely to be affected than women. Lung infection may produce no symptoms, but when the infection is widespread, skin lesions or bone lesions may appear and the urogenital system (bladder, kidney, prostate, testes) may be affected.
The incidence of blastomycosis is 1-2 out of every 100,000 people in geographic areas where blastomycosis occurs most frequently. It is even less common outside those areas.
Symptoms
In humans, blastomycosis is also known as Gilchrist's disease, Gilchrists mycosis, Blastomyces dermatitidis, and Chicago disease.
Symptoms in Humans coughing

skin lesions, or small draining ulcer(s) on the skin, like a small abscess - draining bloody or purulent (pus) material - found most common on the face, neck, and the extremities.

shortness of breath
fever
fatigue
joint and muscle pain
joint and muscle stiffness
rash
chest pain

Symptoms in Dogs coughing

skin lesions, or small draining ulcer(s) on the skin, like a small abscess - draining bloody or purulent (pus) material
blood in the urine
shortness of breath
enlarged lymph nodes
eye problems: including redness, pain, swelling, excessive tearing, clouding of the corneas, and even blindness
listlessness

Treatment

A Blastomycosis diagnosis is CRUCIAL to the patient's out come and survival. Even then, if the fungal infection has spread too deeply within the lungs, and to other organs and tissues, the patient may not survive. Even if the drug treatment is successful, it will not reverse any spinal or bone damage, or blindness. Even after treatment, the infection can remain dormant for many years and then reappear. However, after a year of remission without disease recurrence it is unlikely that your pet will have another occurrence of the disease.

Alien writes for Family doctor. He also writes for natural cures and health clinic

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