Fungus Among us.

When you think of fungus what’s the first thing that comes to mind?  Is it perhaps a scratchy rash on your foot?  A popular video game with fungus based Zombies?  What about Cryptococus Gattii, a form of yeast fungus.  This fungus was relatively unknown until a few years back when it began to infect dolphins, dogs, koalas, and finally people.  The strange thing, this fungus didn’t show up in the humid and hot south (as most fungal infections do) but instead Canada.  That’s right, Canada.

This fungus loves to live in the lungs of infected people, proliferating and reducing the amount of surface area available for gas exchange.  Roughly ¼ of the people infected with this disease die from respiratory failure.  C. Gattii hits those with compromised immune systems the hardest. 

You may be asking yourself, why do you care?  If it kills those with bad immune systems I should be fine.  Well, typically you will be.  Assuming you don’t smoke, have cancer, get a transplant, or contract HIV.   Granted, if you’re immune system is damaged then you probably have bigger things to worry about than a relatively uncommon fungus, but still it’s important to know what’s out there.

That being said,  I find it fascinating that there’s a fungus that not only thrives up north, but also is capable of being a deadly, and virulent pathogen to mammals.  Most of the time, between our immune system, temperature, and various other factors, fungi have a hard time maintaining an internal hold over us and typically infect easier/less defended creatures, such as ants.  It’s fascinating that this fungus has found such a hospitable environment in our lungs.  I wonder why such an infectious route isn’t more common.  What do you think?

References.

Datta K, Bartlett K, Baer R, Byrnes E, Galanis E, Heitman J, Hoang L, Leslie M, Macdougal L, Magill S, et al. 2009 August. Spread of Cryptococcus Gattii into pacific northwest region of the United States. Emerging Infectious Diseases.  15(8):1185-1191

Frazer J. 2013 December. Strange fungi now stalk healthy people. Scientific American [Internet]. [cited 2013 Dec 2].  Available From: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=strange-fungi-now-stalk-healthy-people