'Highly Virulent' Strain of Killer Fungus Found in Ore.

[Guest guest]

Note: Oh Boy! Now we have another killer disease to add to the buffet of deadly

pathogens. Eventually, one of these bugs are going to get us. Life is

dangerous. Really!

(April 22) -- A potentially life-threatening new type of fungus has been

discovered in Oregon, and experts are warning that it could soon spread into

neighboring regions.

The pathogen is a strain of Cryptococcus gattii -- C. gattii for short -- and

appears to have a death rate of around 25 percent among those infected, although

researchers have only evaluated 18 human and 21 animal cases, all of which

occurred between 2005 and 2009.

Their study is published in this week's issue of PLoS Pathogens.

Experts are particularly concerned because the fungus, which infects via

airborne spores, seems to affect otherwise healthy individuals. Pathogens like

C. gattii are usually only a problem for those with a compromised immune system,

such as transplant recipients and HIV/AIDS sufferers.

" 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, " Edmond Byrnes III, a doctoral student in

molecular genetics and microbiology at Duke, told CNN.

When the fungal spores are inhaled, they lodge in the lungs and respiratory

tract. Symptoms, which can take months to appear, include a persistent cough,

chest pain and difficulty breathing.

C. gattii is one species of Cryptococcus, a fungus usually associated with bird

droppings. In humans, Cryptococcus neoformans infection is relatively common

among HIV patients, who are therefore advised to avoid areas with lots of birds,

according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Until 1999, C. gattii was isolated to tropical regions. Then cases began popping

up in the Pacific Northwest, including an outbreak on Vancouver Island that

killed 9 percent of the 200 people believed to have been infected.

Experts suspect the original strain was imported via foreign plants and that

this latest C. gattii mutation, described as " highly virulent, " is a new

occurrence.

It's unclear what factors might predispose a seemingly healthy person to

infection. Young and old, male and female, smoker and nonsmoker -- all seem to

be at equal risk. And while it's well known that C. gattii can be found in

trees, it's unknown whether an individual needs to breathe air near a tree to

get sick.

" Our best guess is that it's mostly associated with trees and soil, so certain

disturbances might allow the organism to become airborne and more or less float

in the area, " Byrnes said.

Person-to-person transmission doesn't seem to be a problem. That's good news,

although experts can't offer much advice in terms of prevention, and the study

notes that treatment, which relies on anti-fungal medication, can take years.

Moreover, " physicians could potentially miss the diagnosis, " Bartlett, an

environmental hygienist with the University of British Columbia, told Science

News, while adding that the infection is still quite rare.

A working group of doctors and public health officials has already been formed

in the Pacific Northwest, and the study's authors are calling for ongoing

research and monitoring to stave off the spread of the fungus.

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