Potentially deadly fungus spreading in U.S. and Canada

[Elmore Furth]

Source: Reuters

A potentially deadly strain of fungus is spreading among animals and people in the northwestern United States and the Canadian province of British Columbia, researchers reported on Thursday.

The airborne fungus, called Cryptococcus gattii, usually only infects transplant and AIDS patients and people with otherwise compromised immune systems, but the new strain is genetically different, the researchers said.

"This novel fungus is worrisome because it appears to be a threat to otherwise healthy people," said Edmond Byrnes of Duke University in North Carolina, who led the study.

The spore-forming fungus can cause symptoms in people and animals two weeks or more after exposure. They include a cough that lasts for weeks, sharp chest pain, shortness of breath, headache, fever, nighttime sweats and weight loss.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63L66H20100422

[DainBramaged]

1. From 1999 through to early 2008, two hundred and sixteen people in British Columbia contracted the

disease, and eight died from it.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptococcus_gattii

[truthisfreedom]

2. Ugh! Stay in Canada and to the west please!

I'm in Minnesota... I don't need this!

[DRex]

3. I feel like I have this right now...

Those symptoms are eerily familiar, plus I live in Western Canada.

It's probably nothing. Couch, cough, choke....

[GoddessOfGuinness]

4. I wonder if it could spread via travel...

whether it be by car or by plane or train.
Pretty creepy...

[Oregone]

5. Smack dab where I live

:(

[niceypoo]

6. There's a fungus among us

[Skink]

7. Why is everybody picking on gus?

[thelordofhell]

9. I heard he's a real fungi

[Indenturedebtor]

8. Hey look over here... NO OVER HERE!!! Why... it's your old friend

:eyes:

[Hestia]

10. Looks like Nature is trying to find a way to off us - one way or another

[Phoonzang]

12. Apparently it's trying to off animals too. nt

[live love laugh]

11. Great! Something else to worry about. Does Rumsfeld have a vaccine for it? nt

[Odin2005]

21. -1 for stupid anti-vax comment.

[Reader Rabbit]

13. I was worried I had this, until I saw that weight loss is one of the symptoms.

Oh, well.

[junior college]

14. More sensational BS....just like the swine flu which turned out to be nothing

[Socal31]

16. What if it turned out to be something more and they under-reacted?

[RainMickey]

15. There's a fungus amongus?

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[dipsydoodle]

17. Didn't occur to me

this subject may have been posted here and only just found it. I stuck it in the Health forum having found the subject through my daughter. It looped from a friend of hers in the USA to London via FB and then back again here. :) K & R'd for you .

[Javaman]

18. Personally, I welcome our new deadly fungus overlords. nt

[mistertrickster]

19. It causes weight loss. Okay, how do I get it? (joke) nt.

[jimlup]

20. And I opened the thread hoping it was a new name for republican insanity

Yeah, I think that is a deadly fungus too - just of a different sort.

[Odin2005]

22. Ugh, keep that shit away from me.