Pacific Northwest fungus disease: Cryptococcus gattii

Nothing wakes up an amateur hypochondriac like a harrowing and deadly disease story on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Here is today’s:

• NPR.org: Fungal Disease Spreads Through Pacific Northwest

The fungus is Cryptococcus gattii, and as Wikipedia notes, it “is an encapsulated yeast found primarily in tropical and subtropical climates.”

However, more recently it has also been found from British Columbia down into the Pacific Northwest. Starting from Vancouver Island in about 1999, it has now killed 40 people and spread into the states of Washington and Oregon, with Northern California next in line. Some experts suspect climate change is responsible.

Cryptococcus gattii is spread by tiny spores which are carried in the wind. Remember last year’s tomato blight? That was spread by spores, too — and spores can travel 30 miles a day with the right conditions.

A Cryptococcus gattii infection can cause catastrophic health complications, suffering, and death. Symptoms can include prolonged cough (lasting weeks or months), sharp chest pain, shortness of breath, sinusitis, severe headache, stiff neck, muscle soreness, blurred or double vision, fever, delirium, hallucinations, seizures, night sweats, skin lesions, rashes, blisters, lethargy, apathy, and more.

Wikipedia notes that the fungus also afflicts animals, “such as dogs, koalas and dolphins.” The NPR story additionally lists domestic cats, sheep, goats, horses, elk, and llamas.

For more background on Cryptococcus gattii, including its association with pigeon droppings, eucalyptus, and wood chipping, take a listen to this 2006 podcast from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) — part of their Emerging Infectious Diseases series:

• CDC.gov: Spread of Rare Fungus from Vancouver Island

Finally, there is the extensive report published yesterday by Edmond Byrnes and other reseachers at Duke University which is noted in the NPR story:

• Public Library of Science Pathogens: Emergence and Pathogenicity of Highly Virulent Cryptococcus gattii Genotypes in the Northwest United States

For me, hearing news of a highly virulent and potentially deadly emerging pathogen at the day’s first light makes a morning cup of coffee almost superfluous.

Thanks, Morning Edition!