Researchers Discover Killer Fungus In Pacific Northwest
Researchers have found a rare but life-threatening tropical fungus in the Pacific Northwest.
The fungus is known to cause lung infections in both people and animals and researchers are fearing that it could spread to other areas as well. The fungus, known as Cryptococcus gattii (or C. gattii), infects humans and animals including cats, dogs, and dolphins. Although it is a rare variety, it has proved lethal in about 25 percent of the people in the U.S. who were infected by it.
According to Edmond Byrnes III, who is a part of the team, which has published a new study on the fungus, the symptoms of this fungus' infection include chest pain, a persistent cough, shortness of breath, fever, and weight loss. Byrnes and his team added in their study that the fungus could also cause meningitis, but the infection of this fungus, which is found in soil and trees, can be controlled by antifungal drugs.
The new strain of the fungus, which has been discovered by Byrnes and colleagues is confined to Oregon and it is very dangerous. "Overall it's a pretty low threat, and it's still uncommon in the area, but as the range of the organism expands and the number of cases increases accordingly, it's becoming more of a concern," said Byrnes.
The researchers warned that the new strain, which is very virulent, could move into Northern California and other neighboring regions. The fungus, which was first discovered in the US in 1999, originally belongs to tropics and experts said that they might have reached on American soil on imported plants or trees.
