Histoplasmosis - acute (primary) pulmonary

• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z

Acute histoplasmosis

Fungus

Most patients with acute primary infection have very mild symptoms. The most common symptoms are:

• Fever
• Chills
• Shortness of breath
• Muscle aches and stiffness
• Cough
• Rash
• Joint pain and stiffness

In the very young, elderly, or immunocompromised, more severe symptoms can occur. They include serious lung infections, severe joint pains, and inflammation around the heart.

• Chest x-ray (might show obvious lung infection or pneumonia)
• Sputum culture (often not positive)
• CBC (complete blood count)
• Bronchoscopy (usually only performed in patients with severe disease or abnormal immune systems)
• Antibody tests for histoplasmosis (serologies)
• Biopsy of site of infection
• Chest CT scan
• The most common test to diagnose histoplasmosis in clinical use is detection of urinary histoplasmosis antigen. This test is especially useful in patients with severe disease

Review Date: 05/26/2006
Reviewed By: Monica Gandhi MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, UCSF, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.