In the US, a dangerous fungus infects the human brain. What do you need to know?

Among all existing diseases, mycoses (theyfungal infections) occupy a special place. Different types of these microscopic fungi can affect several body systems and often lead to death. Most often, fungal infections occur in people with weakened immune systems, which was clearly demonstrated by the COVID-19 pandemic: people who had a severe coronavirus began to get sick with mucormycosis, an infection that affects the sinuses, brain and lungs (for which it was popularly called “black mold”). It seems that you can’t think of anything worse, but no: recently the media reported two cases of a rare Rift Valley fever in the United States, the causative agent of which is fungi that live in soil, rotting wood and bird droppings. Once in the human body, the pathogen contributes to the development of fungal meningitis, accompanied by swelling of the brain. But what is especially interesting is that this parasitic fungus is changing right before our eyes.

Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection caused by a species of endemic fungus Coccidioides that can be contracted by inhalation.

What is mycosis?

Recently, The Insider told the story33-year-old Los Angeles resident Desiree Chan, who contracted athlete's foot after suffering from COVID-19. It all started with acute pain in the neck, due to which the woman spent several days in bed and then went to the doctor. But since the test for covid came back negative, the doctor considered the pain in the back to be an ordinary phenomenon and prescribed painkillers. However, when Chan complained of a severe cough six days later, she was sent for an x-ray.

The resulting image revealed the presence in the lungsinfiltrate - accumulation of fluid (exudate) in the lung parenchyma, because of which the woman was diagnosed with pneumonia and prescribed antibiotics. But despite the treatment, Chang got worse and worse. Ultimately, the cough became so "debilitating" that the patient could not talk on the phone and quickly lost weight.

At that time, neither Chan nor the experts understood what was happening, and it took several weeks and countless tests to make a diagnosis, the publication reports.

Desire Chan had a rare fungal disease

Chan was eventually diagnosed with Rift Valley Fever - a rare fungal infectionwhich has become more common in recent years(due to the covid pandemic). The clinical picture looks like this - a person with a weakened immune system inhales spores of the fungus Coccidioides, which multiplies rapidly throughout the body.

Coccidioides immitis - a pathogenic fungus that lives in the soil. It is most commonly found in parts of the United States and northern Mexico.

Luckily the story ended well and Chanrecovered, however, for most of 2021 she took antifungal drugs with a lot of side effects, including loss of appetite and hormonal imbalance. In the same year, another case of mycosis was registered in California - specialists could not diagnose an infection in a young man for a month, during which the patient's condition rapidly worsened.

History of infection

Health experts are increasinglyfind the fungus in unexpected places, which is likely due to rapid climate change. At the same time, not every person who inhales Coccidioides immitis spores becomes ill, and life-threatening symptoms occur in 1 out of 10 people (especially if the infection spreads to the skin, joints, or affects the spinal cord). People with weakened immune systems, including pregnant women and the elderly, are most at risk.

Under natural conditions, cattle, sheep, dogs, kangaroos, squirrels, monkeys, rabbits, etc. are also susceptible to K.

More on the topic: How to find out that parasitic worms have settled in the body?

Given the increasing incidence of mycoses,researchers have turned their attention to the rare Rift Valley fever. Most of all, they were interested in pathogen mutations - once in the human body, the fungus quickly leaves the lungs through the bloodstream and attacks other organs. To date, the fungus C. neoformans is the main cause of the deadly fungal meningitis.

parasitic mushrooms

The fungus feels best in the lungs, andtherefore, it is actively growing, becoming about 10 times larger (compared to its normal size). Just imagine - the pathogen becomes so large that it forces the immune system to attack itself. At the same time, there are much fewer fungal cells in other parts of the body. This ability, according to researchers from the University of Utah, helps the fungus to colonize other organs and in particular the brain.

The cells of the fungus in the lungs are diverse, have differentsize and appearance. We believe that there is a good reason why the pathogen is actively moving inside the host organism, says Jessica Brown, lead author of the new study.

Scientists have discovered that the cells of this parasitic fungus change their size

The results of the work, published in the scientific journal Cell Host & Microbe, proved the assumptions of scientists - Cryptococcus neoformans grows and shrinks. Through this activity, the pathogen learnsresist the immune system and microenvironments of the body. The researchers figured this out by infecting lab mice and observing fungal cells of various sizes. It turned out that they are undergoing tremendous changes. One of the reasons for the abnormal growth of the fungus is phosphate, a chemical that accumulates in the lungs and contributes to the further spread of the infection.

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Oddly enough, but the ability of the fungusto effectively affect the brain could have arisen in one unique source: bird droppings (mainly pigeon due to the presence of a large amount of phosphate in it). Further study of this pathogen is necessary for rapid diagnosis, new methods of treatment and prevention of infection. In the wild, according to experts, the fungus can be found in rotting wood.

The diagnosis is established in the laboratory.

Recall also that parasitic fungi infectants and wasps, turning them into real zombies. And if you played The Last of Us, then you know what cordyceps mushroom looks like and what it is, the spores of which (as in the case of Cryptococcus neoformans) enter the body when you inhale. Read all the details in the material of my colleague Ramis Ganiev.