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Summary
Histoplasmosis is a disease caused by a fungus (or mold) called Histoplasma. The fungus is common in the eastern and central United States. It grows in soil and material contaminated with bat or bird droppings. You get infected by breathing the fungal spores. You cannot get the infection from someone else.
Histoplasmosis is often mild, with no symptoms. If you do get sick, it usually affects your lungs. Symptoms include feeling ill, fever, chest pains, and a dry cough. In severe cases, histoplasmosis spreads to other organs. This is called disseminated disease. It is more common in infants, young children, seniors, and people with immune system problems.
Your doctor might do a variety of tests to make the diagnosis, including a chest x-ray, CT scan of the lungs, or examining blood, urine, or tissues for signs of the fungus. Mild cases usually get better without treatment. Treatment of severe or chronic cases is with antifungal drugs.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Diagnosis and Tests
-
Fungal Culture Test
(National Library of Medicine)
Also in Spanish
Prevention and Risk Factors
- Histoplasmosis Risk and Prevention (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Treatments and Therapies
- Treatment and Outcomes of Histoplasmosis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Specifics
-
Histoplasmosis
(National Eye Institute)
Statistics and Research
- Histoplasmosis Statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Patient Handouts
- Histoplasma complement fixation (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Histoplasma skin test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Histoplasmosis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Histoplasmosis - acute (primary) pulmonary (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish