Man died after inhaling spores of garden fungus
Friday, 13 June 2008
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A potentially lethal biohazard could be breeding in gardens across Britain, according to a reportin the medical journal The Lancet.
Doctors issued the warning after it emerged that a healthy middle-aged man died after inhaling fungal spores from rotting plant material. The 47 year-old man from Buckingham-shire was thought at first to have developed pneumonia following a minor bacterial infection. But after a week in which he suffered chest pains, shortness of breath, and a sputum-inducing cough, he was admitted to hospital. At the time he was suffering from a fever. Within 24 hours he became so short of breath that, despite being given oxygen, he was placed in intensive care.
Tests showed that the man, who was previously of good health, was suffering from "overwhelming sepsis", a condition in which the immune system over-compensates while under attack, leading to kidney problems, low blood pressure, and a fast heart rate.
After being referred to a specialist regional centre and put on a heart-lung machine, the man's condition continued to worsen, leading to kidney failure and eventual death.
His hobby only came under scrutiny when it transpired that the common fungus Aspergillus fumigatus had grown from two sputum samples. Blood samples showed evidence of aspergillosis, a reaction to the fungus. The man was given an intravenous antifungal drug but it was too late.
Doctors discovered from the man's partner that he had developed symptoms less than 24 hours after being engulfed by "clouds of dust" while he "dispersed rotting tree and plant mulch in the garden".
Dr David Waghorn from Wycombe Hospital, Buckinghamshire, who treated the patient, wrote in The Lancet: "Acute aspergillosis after contact with decayed plant matter is rare, but may be considered an optional hazard for gardeners."
The fungus grows on dead leaves, compost heaps, and in stored grain.
