Obscure fungal infection defies diagnosis

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071012.wlfungus12/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

Summary: Tyler Thorkildsen, a native of Pointe au Baril, Ontario, was diagnosed in late November 2004 with a rare fungal infection called blastomycosis. However, due to the nature of this disease to be "the great mimic" according to Dr. John Embil, Thorkildsen's exact ailment was wrongly concluded to be first pleurisy (an inflammation around the lungs) and second lung cancer (due to a mass found between his eighth and ninth ribs). When the doctors realized that he wasn't responded to any treatments, one doctor suggested he be tested for blastomycosis, after having treated a small girl with the same infection. It was concluded that Thorkildsen contracted the disease from the family dog, Rufus. Because his case had advanced so far, an easily treated illness then required injections of amphotericin B, an anti-fungal drug which causes swelling, fever and kidney damage. Due to the side effects of this drug, after a few days his doctors switched him to Sporanox, the same drug being administered to Rufus.
Blastomycosis, or "blasto" for short, is known as the great mimic because it tends to imitate diseases such as pneumonia, cancer, skin disease, and bone and joint problems. When the fungus enters your body it converts to a yeast; this yeast multiplies itself and attacks the tissues. Six percent of cases of blastomycosis are fatal. This infection is most commonly found in Manitoba, northwestern Ontario, Thunder Bay, Georgian Bay, Temiskaming districts, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Alberta. In the America it is native to Wisconsin, Ohio and the Mississippi River basin. Blasto is caused by the fungus Blastomyces dermatitidis, which is commonly found in dirt. Because dogs' snouts are closer to the ground, blastomycosis is more common in dogs than humans. However, this infection is very elusive, and can sometimes disappear from an area within a day. This makes the chances of spreading blasto to other humans very slim. It can, however, be spread in any way, even through the air.

My Response: This article was interesting because the characteristics of this infection make it so hard to pin down. It makes me wonder if there are any symptoms that somehow get overlooked when diagnosing a patient with blastomycosis that would distinguish from any of the other diseases it copies. I also think research could discover a better, less dangerous form of treatment for more severe forms of the infection. The "copycat" tendencies of blasto show that little details that have been put into God's creation truly make a difference!