Do Not Disturb

The summer in our part of the country has been fairly nice. For humans, it's been a good balance of weather. It hasn't given us much time to stew over "this hot, humid weather" or "too much rain." Each week has produced a few good swimming, boating or fishing days, and a few rainy days to replenish the moisture lost during the hot days.

One unusual difference this summer over past summers, has been the overabundance of mushrooms. They have mysteriously poked their heads out of odd places in yards, on forest floors, on trees, and about anywhere else they decide to cling. Interesting as they may be, they are most likely not edible and certainly don't look like your basic maiitake or button variety. Some look downright frightening and some beckon a person closer with their color or odd shape.

For the curious type, researching lawn and garden mushrooms on the web is a must. On one website, over 40 different varieties were identified as growing in a backyard or wooded area. The majority of them were non-poisonous, and eating a couple varieties would result in mild to acute gastrointestinal symptoms. These symptoms are due to ingestion, but what other health symptoms can their presence create?

When you have a moist climate, you generally have mushrooms and other fungal inhabitants. The spores of the fungus can be disturbed easily, sending them airborne, and causing health problems ranging from cough, fever, shortness of breath, fatigue, skin disease, thrush, inner ear infection, and sinus infection. If left untreated, some symptoms of fungal infection may progress to central nervous system malfunction, and potentially major organ and brain infiltration.

Fungal infections related to airborne fungal spores, from mushrooms and other fungi, have occurred for centuries. Within the past two decades, a complex fungus has emerged in the Western United States. It's name - Cryptococcus Gattii (C. gattii). This problematic fungus was discovered in isolated cases on Vancouver Island in the 1990's, and over the past few years is appearing in Washington, Oregon, and northern California. Fortunately, there have been few deaths amongst the hundreds infected by the spores.

These fungal spores typically come from the soil and trees, where the conditions are perfect for the growth of fungus. Some of these fungal spores may stay in isolated areas, some may spread rapidly due to disturbance of the growing environment. Some fungal infections appear only in immunocompromised individuals, and some randomly target healthy individuals with no similar characteristics. With this in mind, the one thing of importance is to monitor your health - if you've had a sharp, irritating cough, persistent fever, and other fungal symptoms for a prolonged period of time - see your healthcare professional. It may take 2-4 months before symptoms occur, too. And, be wary of the environment you are in - step lightly and do not disturb the fungus!

C. gattii Invasion!

In mid-April online news broadcast a story about a species of fungus which migrated from its usual tropical and subtropical climates to the northwestern coast of the United States. It was first discovered when 200 people became infected with the fungus on Vancouver Island in British Columbia in the late 90’s. Experts say it may have arrived in North America by importation of trees and plants, and more than a decade later has travelled along the coast of Oregon and Washington. Northern California is potentially the next target.

The airborne fungal spores - Cryptococcus gattii, or C. gattii - can harbor themselves in the body for 2 to several months, and cause some life-threatening symptoms. Researchers are mainly concerned about the intensely toxic fungal spores inhabiting a non-specific group - any age range, different backgrounds, non-smokers, and has also affected some domestic and wild animals.

For humans, the symptoms include shortness of breath, an extremely painful persistent cough, headache, fever, and night sweats. Antifungal treatments are the most effective, taking 10 to 12 months to eliminate symptoms. One woman told CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) the cough was severely painful and it took a year to build her energy levels to normal.

There isn’t a preventative for infection, but don’t let this alarm you. Anyone living on the Northwestern coast of the United States should be aware of the symptoms and should be tested for the C. gattii fungal infection, beginning an antifungal regimen immediately. Or, for precautionary measures, start taking daily doses of antifungals and probiotics to decrease the severity of the infection or keep it from initially taking over your body.

Hitting Home

A river runs through a community a few miles north of our main office. Many local people and tourists use the river, especially in the summer, to kayak, canoe, tube, swim, and fish. Activity on the river has been abundant since the discovery of the river over a hundred years ago.

A few decades ago, there became a pattern among a few residents and their pets. They acquired symptoms such as coughing, fatigue, mild fluid in the lungs, and fever, which resemble symptoms for a number of other diseases. Of course, doctors prescribed antibiotics with no luck, the symptoms persisted and evolved into more serious conditions involving the skin, bones, urogenital tract and central nervous system.

The mystery disease was Blastomyces, a fungal disease, which has often been misdiagnosed as tuberculosis, chronic histoplasmosis, or a bacterial disease. If not treated properly, the symptoms could become fatal. Humans and dogs acquire this from inhaling the fungal spores in areas with high organic content, such as along riverbanks.

Unfortunately, the only remedy for a fungal-related disease is an antifungal. Antibiotics amplify the symptoms because they are only effective on bacterial infections. Some of the best natural antifungals available are olive leaf extract, oregano oil, caprylic acid, grapefruit seed extract, garlic, neem, curcumin and apple cider vinegar. Probiotics, positive bacteria, also work against the fungus by multiplying in the intestinal tract, crowding out any negative microorganisms that have taken hold.

Blastomycosis has become a familiar name in this area of the United States, as have other fungal diseases. It can really hit home in a small community when some of these diseases affect so many people, and are the result of enjoying nature in your backyard.