gross.
Fungal infections can be an unpleasant experience, and infections are not uncommon in Metro Vancouver and other cities.
But traveling to areas with high concentrations of certain bats or birds, or simply dusty environments, can cause more than just an itch.
Metro Vancouver residents should consider all the risks involved when choosing a road with slightly less traffic. This is good advice no matter where you’re going, but it’s especially true if you’re going off the beaten path.
Caving (often referred to as caving or pothole exploration) involves several risks, some of which are less obvious than others.
Dr. Mary Barbee, a professor in the Department of Botany at the University of British Columbia (UBC), says there is a type of fungus that can be transmitted by bats and birds and can cause disease in humans.
Histoplasma is a fungus It grows in a “moderate temperature, rich soil, and moist environment,” and its growth is supported by the droppings of several winged animals, including chickens, pigeons, starlings, blackbirds, and bats. According to the Canadian Center for Occupational Safety, birds are not susceptible to the bacteria due to their warm body temperatures, but they can carry the bacteria on their feathers.
On the other hand, bats have a low body temperature and excrete bacteria in their feces, making them susceptible to bacterial infections.
High concentrations of fungi can cause problems
A person becomes infected with Histoplasma by inhaling Histoplasma spores, and an infection called histoplasmosis develops several days later. It usually affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body, such as the eyes, liver, central nervous system, skin, and adrenal glands.
Dr. Barbee says exposure to small amounts of Histoplasma is unlikely to cause infection. However, high concentrations of the fungus can cause serious symptoms.
When you get sick, you will have a fever, cough, and fatigue, but most people will recover on their own without the need for medicine. Infection can be severe in some people, including people with weakened immune systems.
This fungus has not been observed in British Columbia, but is widely distributed in the eastern United States and Canada. Thankfully, infections are very rare, but they can be dangerous “if there is heavy exposure to the fungus.”
Most people wouldn’t go to areas with large bat runoffs, but those exploring caves full of bats could face a potential fungal threat. Similarly, farmers, gardeners, landscapers, and workers involved in road construction and tree felling may also be at risk of infection.
Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) is an infection caused by the fungus coccidioidomycosis and is common in the southern United States and parts of Mexico. Although many people living in these areas have antibodies to the virus, serious cases have also occurred. Under certain circumstances, it can cause problems even in healthy people, Barbee explains.
In 1972, Outbreak of coccidioidomycosis The incident occurred among archeology students during an archaeological dig in Tehama County, California. At least 17 of them “suffered from an illness clinically consistent with a diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis,” according to the National Library of Medicine.
Scratches can allow fungi to enter the body
Those planning an armadillo hunt may also face some problems.
“Normally the fungus can’t penetrate the skin, but armadillo hunters have to reach through the hole to catch the fungus,” Barbee said. “They can stick their arms through the plants that go into their burrows.”
When the skin is punctured, Sporothrix The fungus enters the human body through skin wounds and causes a disease called sporotrichosis.
Although the disease is not fatal, it can be “difficult” to get rid of, Barbee noted. If you’re going armadillo hunting, consider that it may not be legal in the state you’re visiting. But perhaps more importantly, some of these creatures may have something even more alarming than a fungal infection transmitted from an infected scrape, although it’s extremely rare.
In the southern United States, some armadillos carry bacteria such as: cause leprosy in humans And that disease leads to leprosy.
