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Persons using assistive technology might not be able to fully access information in this file. For assistance, please send e-mail to: mmwrq@cdc.gov. Type 508 Accommodation and the title of the report in the subject line of e-mail. During April 8-14, 1994, eight persons aged 16-19 years fromsoutheastern Wisconsin visited physicians for respiratory illnessassociated with inhalation of Lycoperdon perlatum (i.e., puffballmushrooms). On April 19, the Bureau of Public Health, WisconsinDivision of Health, was notified of these cases. This reportsummarizes the case investigations. On April 3, the adolescents attended a party during which theyinhaled and chewed puffball mushrooms. It was unknown whether otherpersons at the party participated in this activity. No illicitdrugs were reportedly used at the party. Three persons reportednausea and vomiting within 6-12 hours after exposure. Within 3-7days after exposure, all patients developed cough, fever(temperature up to 103 F {39.4 C}), shortness of breath, myalgia,and fatigue. Five persons required hospitalization; two were intubated. Twopatients had a history of asthma and were using steroid inhalers.Chest radiographs on all hospitalized patients indicated bilateralreticulonodular infiltrates. Two patients underwent transbronchiallung biopsy, and one had an open lung biopsy. Histopathologicexamination of the lung biopsy specimens revealed an inflammatoryprocess and the presence of yeast-like structures consistent withLycoperdon spores. Fungal cultures of the lung biopsy tissue werenegative. All hospitalized patients received corticosteroids, and fourreceived antifungal therapy with either amphotericin B or azoledrugs. All patients recovered within 1-4 weeks with no apparentsequelae. Reported by: TA Taft, MD, RC Cardillo, MD, D Letzer, DO, CTKaufman, DO, Milwaukee; JJ Kazmierczak, DVM, JP Davis, MD,Communicable Disease Epidemiologist, Bur of Public Health,Wisconsin Div of Health. Div of Respiratory Disease Studies,National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; Div ofBacterial and Mycotic Diseases, National Center for InfectiousDiseases, CDC. Editorial NoteEditorial Note: Lycoperdonosis is a rare respiratory illness causedby inhalation of spores of the mushroom Lycoperdon. Puffballs,which are found worldwide, grow in the autumn and can be ediblethen. In the spring, they desiccate and form spores that can beeasily released by agitating the mushroom (1). One puffball species(L. marginatum) can produce psychoactive effects (2). Only three cases of lycoperdonosis have been reportedpreviously (1,3) -- two in children and one in an adolescent. Thesethree patients had inhaled large quantities of puffball spores, oneunintentionally and two deliberately (as a folk remedy to controlnosebleed). All patients had evidence of bilateral infiltrates onchest radiographs. Whether the pulmonary process results from ahypersensitivity reaction, an actual infection by the spores, orboth is unknown. The efficacy of using antifungal agents to treatlycoperdonosis is unknown. Physicians should be aware of thisillness, especially in children and young adults presenting with acompatible clinical history and progressive respiratory symptoms. References Strand RD, Neuhauser EBD, Sornberger CF. Lycoperdonosis. N Engl J Med 1967;277:89-91. Lincoff G, Mitchel DH. Toxic and hallucinogenic mushroom poisoning. Williams WK, ed. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1977. Henriksen NT. Lycoperdonosis. Acta Paediatr Scand 1976;65:643-5. Disclaimer All MMWR HTML versions of articles are electronic conversions from ASCII text into HTML. This conversion may have resulted in character translation or format errors in the HTML version. Users should not rely on this HTML document, but are referred to the electronic PDF version and/or the original MMWR paper copy for the official text, figures, and tables. An original paper copy of this issue can be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), Washington, DC 20402-9371; telephone: (202) 512-1800. Contact GPO for current prices. **Questions or messages regarding errors in formatting should be addressed to mmwrq@cdc.gov. Page converted: 09/19/98 | |
FAQs
During April 8-14, 1994, eight persons aged 16-19 years from southeastern Wisconsin visited physicians for respiratory illness associated with inhalation of Lycoperdon perlatum (i.e., puffball mushrooms). On April 19, the Bureau of Public Health, Wisconsin Division of Health, was notified of these cases.
Can mushroom spores cause respiratory problems? ›
Mushroom worker's disease is a hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by the occupational exposure of allergenic fungal spores and compost associated with the inhalation of organic dust from mushroom composting and spawning.
What are the symptoms of lycoperdonosis? ›
Typical progression of the disease includes symptoms of a cold hours after spore inhalation, followed by nausea, rapid pulse, crepitant rales (a sound like that made by rubbing hairs between the fingers, heard at the end of inhalation), and dyspnea. Chest radiographs reveal the presence of lung nodules.
What is mushroom lungs? ›
Current research indicates that mushroom worker's lung is a hypersensitive allergic alveolitis secondary to an inhaled organic antigen (6). This antigen is contained in the fine dust released in the spawing period during the third stage of the commercial mushroom growing pro- cess (3, 7, 8).
How do you treat lycoperdonosis? ›
All of the documented human patients with lycoperdonosis recovered after variable lengths of hospitalization, generally with steroid and/or antimicrobial treatment. Recently, pneumonitis in a 12-year-old Golden Retriever dog in Canada that responded to corticosteroids was attributed to inhalation of puffball mushrooms.
What is the disease caused by spores in the lungs? ›
Aspergillosis is an infection caused by a type of mold (fungus). The illnesses resulting from aspergillosis infection usually affect the respiratory system, but their signs and severity vary greatly. The mold that triggers the illnesses, aspergillus, is everywhere — indoors and outdoors.
What are the symptoms of a fungal respiratory infection? ›
They include coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. In chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, it usually takes a while for patients to develop symptoms.
What are the symptoms of Goodpasture's disease? ›
Symptoms of Goodpasture syndrome include recurrent episodes of coughing up of blood (hemoptysis), difficulty breathing (dyspnea), fatigue, chest pain, and/or abnormally low levels of circulating red blood cells (anemia).
What are the symptoms of the first signs of Mpox? ›
Typically for mpox, fever, muscle aches and sore throat appear first. The mpox rash begins on the face and spreads over the body, extending to the palms of the hands and soles of the feet and evolves over 2-4 weeks in stages – macules, papules, vesicles, pustules. Lesions dip in the centre before crusting over.
What are the symptoms of ehrlichiosis? ›
Ehrlichiosis symptoms typically begin within 1-2 weeks after the bite of an infected tick. Symptoms can include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, nausea, and rash. Delay of antibiotic treatment can sometimes result in severe illness.
Mushroom worker's disease is a hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by the occupational exposure of allergenic fungal spores and compost associated with the inhalation of organic dust from mushroom composting and spawning.
What is a farmer's lung? ›
Farmer's lung is a type of hypersensitivity pneumonitis that is caused by precipitants such as moldy hay or straw. This condition's specificity towards farmers makes it a rare but important disease process to know, especially for primary care clinicians.
Can mycelium grow in the lungs? ›
Fungal balls of the lung are masses of fungal mycelium growing in existing cavities.
How do you treat Bartonellosis? ›
Documented Bartonella culture-positive endocarditis should be treated with oral Doxycycline 100 mg for 6 weeks and intravenous gentamicin at 3 mg/kg/day for 14 days. Recommended treatment for neuroretinitis and for CNS involvement is a combination of oral doxycycline 100 mg twice daily and rifampin 300mg twice daily.
How do you treat Leiner's disease? ›
Treatment includes fluid and nutrition replacement, antibiotics to control infection, and fresh-frozen plasma therapy. The prognosis is unclear; it depends on treatment.
How do you treat Reynolds phenomenon? ›
If you have severe Raynaud's phenomenon, your doctor may recommend a procedure called a sympathectomy to destroy the nerves that trigger blood vessel narrowing in the affected areas. This is usually done by incision or injections. The procedure often relieves symptoms, but it may need to be repeated after a few years.
Can mushroom spores make you ill? ›
Long-term exposure to mushrooms spores can lead to lung inflammation and acute lung disease. Over time, the acute condition turns into chronic lung disease, which you can compare to Asthma. Among people who work with mushrooms these ailments are called mushroom workers lung.
What are the symptoms of mushroom spores? ›
Spores released by mushrooms can be inhaled and cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Symptoms can range from sneezing, runny nose, and itchy eyes to more serious issues like difficulty breathing and asthma attacks.
What are the symptoms of mould spores in the lungs? ›
Symptoms of aspergillosis include:
- shortness of breath.
- a cough – you may cough up blood or lumps of mucus.
- wheezing.
- a high temperature.
- losing weight without trying.
- feeling tired.
Fungal pneumonia is an infectious process in the lungs caused by one or more endemic or opportunistic fungi. Fungal infection occurs following the inhalation of spores, after the inhalation of conidia, or by the reactivation of a latent infection.
