| Histoplasmosis - Causes, Symptoms and | | | | 10 days. Most infected persons have no |
| Treatment | | | | symptoms in there primary stage. When |
| Definition | | | | symptoms occur, they vary widely, depending on |
| Histoplasmosis , also called as Darling's disease , is | | | | the condition of the disease. The condition of the |
| a disease caused when airborne spores of the | | | | disease depends on the number of fungus spores |
| fungus Histoplasma capsulatum are inhaled into the | | | | inhaled, reactions may range from a brief period |
| lungs.This infectious disease primarily affects the | | | | of discomfort feeling to serious illness. |
| lungs & sometimes can spread to other | | | | Histoplasmosis can affect generally any region of |
| parts of the body. This kind of the disease is | | | | the body such as eyes, liver, bone marrow, skin, |
| known as disseminated histoplasmosis, and it can | | | | adrenal glands & intestinal tract.The condition |
| be critical if untreated. | | | | of the disease show which organs are affected. |
| Histoplasma capsulatum is a microscopic | | | | Individuals with this kind of the disease may have |
| dimorhous fungus that grow stronger in moderate | | | | anemia, pneumonia, pericarditis, meningitis, adrenal |
| temperatures and moist environments and | | | | insufficiency, mouth ulcers, tongue or intestinal |
| appears as yeast at body temperature in | | | | tract.Histoplasmosis, in even mild conditions can |
| mammals. Histoplasma capsulatum is commonly | | | | later produce a critical eye disease known as |
| found throughout the world in river valleys and soil | | | | ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (OHS), a leading |
| where chickens, pigeons, starlings, blackbirds, and | | | | cause of vision loss. |
| bat droppings accumulate, is released into the air | | | | Symptoms of histoplasmosis may include: |
| when soil is disturbed by plowing fields, sweeping | | | | - Discomfort feeling. |
| chicken coops, or digging holes. | | | | - Bloody spitting. |
| The soil in indigenous region gives an acidic damp | | | | - Weakness. |
| environment with high organic content that is | | | | - Headache. |
| good for mycelial production. Highly contaminated | | | | - Muscles pain. |
| soil is found near areas inherent by bats and birds. | | | | - Joint pain. |
| Birds cannot be infected by the fungus because | | | | - Fever . |
| of their high body temperatures, but they do | | | | - Chills |
| carry it on their feathers.But bats can become | | | | - Inflammation of the sac around the heart. |
| infected because they have a lower body | | | | - Gastrointestinal tract. |
| temperature than birds, and they spread the | | | | - Chest pain. |
| fungus through droppings. | | | | - Dry or nonproductive cough. |
| Causes | | | | - Breathing uneasiness. |
| Histoplasmosis is produced by a microscopic | | | | - Weight loss. |
| dimorhous fungus Histoplasma capsulatum . The | | | | - Mouth sores. |
| fungus produces spores that can be inhaled when | | | | - Bulging of liver and spleen. |
| they get into the air. Spores are hardy forms of | | | | - Skin rashes. |
| the fungus that can live in the environment for a | | | | - Vision loss. |
| long time. The spores are extremely light and can | | | | - Tuberculosis. |
| be float into the air when dirt or other polluted | | | | Treatments |
| material is disturbed .There are large number of | | | | Treatment of histoplasmosis depends on the |
| cases appears in farmers, landscapers, | | | | complexity of the disease. Anti fungal treatments |
| construction workers & the people who are | | | | are taken to cure the complex cases of acute |
| living near construction sites and spelunkers. | | | | histoplasmosis and all cases of chronic and |
| Histoplasmosis is generally not harmful in primary | | | | disseminated disorders. Mild disease generally cure |
| stages & so mild that it produces no | | | | without treatment & may require only |
| apparent sign & symptoms. Any sign that | | | | symptomatic measures. |
| might appear are generally just like to those from | | | | Efficacious treatments are available in the market |
| a common cold.If any individual had histoplasmosis | | | | for even the most complex forms of |
| symptoms, he /she might dismiss them as those | | | | histoplasmosis. Amphotericin B or itraconazole |
| from a flu or cold , since the body's immune | | | | may be used to treat the disease histoplasmosis. |
| system generally overcomes the infection in | | | | Patients with acquired immunodeficiency |
| some days without treatment. | | | | syndrome (AIDS) may need treatment with an |
| Symptoms | | | | anti fungal medication for there long life to |
| The symptoms histoplasmosis appears within 3 to | | | | prevent further attacks of histoplasmosis. |
| 17 days after exposure ,the calculated average is | | | | |