Another outbreak of a potentially fatal fungal infection causes alarm, here are the symptoms

It's an infection on an 'extraordinary' scale that one company in the United States is facing. In Michigan, in the north of the country, employees of a paper factory have contracted a disease caused by a rare fungus.

It comes as another potentially fatal and drug resistant fungus called Candida auris (C.auris) has been spreading through US healthcare centres at an alarming rate.

The latest fungus is called blastomyces, an infectious mould which is naturally found in damp soil and decaying matter like fallen leaves. But, how did it end up at the manufacturing company?

According to the Daily Mail, it is 'feared to have arrived in moist and rotten wood at the Billerud paper mill in Escanaba, in the north of the state'.

Here's everything we know.

Fungus causes an 'extraordinary' outbreak

However, Gerald Kell, the head of the United Steelworkers Local 21 union representing employees at the Michigan plant, told the Detroit Free Press:

We aren't sure where the exposure is coming from. It's not pinpointed; we have cases throughout the mill. It's a 2,200-acre facility.

In total, almost 100 employees were reportedly infected, and 'roughly a dozen' of them were hospitalised. This number is unusual, according to Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University, who told the Daily Mail:

Outbreaks of blastomycosis are unusual and this outbreak of blastomycosis is extraordinary for its size. It looks as though it is the largest recorded outbreak of blastomycosis in the US.

According to the publication, fungal infections are becoming increasingly common, partly due to global warming, and health experts are concerned they are one of 'the biggest threats to humanity'.

So, what are the risks for those affected?

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The symptoms of Blastomyces

Blastomycosis is a disease that is contracted after inhaling blastomyces spores. According to Ottawa Public Health, half of all infections are asymptomatic, but symptoms may appear after an incubation period.

The fungus spores can infect the lungs, resulting in a 'cold-like' illness with symptoms including a cough, fever, and chest pain but also fatigue and weigh loss. It 'may progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome in 15% of hospitalised patients'.In serious cases, the fungus can spread from the lungs to other organs, such as the muscles, bones, and brain.

Finally, blastomycosis can be fatal in extremely rare cases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

The disease has a mortality rate of about one in 100 patients.

According to the Daily Mail:

The fungus normally triggers around 6,700 cases and 60 deaths every year across the US.

This article has been translated from Gentside FR.

Sources used:

Daily Mail: ''Biggest fungus outbreak in US history' sees nearly 100 staff at paper mill in Michigan struck down by rare mold strain that kills one in 100 victims'

Ottawa Public Health: 'Blastomycosis'