Histoplasmosis in Wildlife

Many types of wildlife are known to be carriers of Histoplasmosis in their fecal; the very common carrier of this disease is mostly Bats and Birds.
Histoplasmosis is also known as cane disease because of its relation to bat guano and moisture, a cave is the perfect place for the fungus to grow, there are several other names that are associated with Histoplasmosis, they are: Darlings Disease, Spelunkers lung, and Cavers Disease. There are many websites that will tell you what the disease is, but few will tell you how it relates to wildlife and wildlife in your home. In this page we will attempt to do so.
Histoplasma was discovered in 1905 by Darling, Hence the name it sometimes carries “darlings Disease” but was discovered to be a widespread infection in the 1930s. Before then, many cases of histoplasmosis were mistakenly attributed to TB or tuberculosis, and patients were mistakenly admitted to tuberculosis sanatoriums that were running back in the day. Some patients actually contracted tuberculosis in these make shift sanatoriums and died because of exposure.
In today’s world the disease is linked to mostly Bat and Bird Droppings, more commonly the disease is linked to any place that bat and bird dropping come in contact with moisture.
This allows the fungus H. capsulatum that causes the disease to start to grow. This happens in nature everyday , the problem occurs when humans come into contact with the growing fungus. This usually happens when the fungus laden bird droppings or bat droppings are disturbed. This causes the spores to go airborne and they are ultimately breathed by the person disturbing the area. This is why many wildlfie control operators that are doing bat or bird control work will wear a respirator to do any kind of work where they may encounter this fungus.
Some common situations where people may come into contact with this fungus is when you have the following problems:

  • Bat Guano in attic areas
  • Bird Droppings in your attic area
  • Bird roosting areas
  • Bat roosting areas
  • Contact with Chicken Coops
  • These are the most common situations where a normal person doing normal things could come into contact with the spores that could cause this disease.
    It is advisable that any persons that come into contact with any type of bird or bat dropping wash their hands immediately with soap and hot water. This will reduce the risk of you contracting the disease thru ingestion, however it is unlikely to be contacted that way. ( they keyword is unlikely) it has not been medically proven that you can not get this disease thru ingestion.
    If you have any situation where you have piles of bat guano or bird droppings, you should hire a professional remediation company remove this material.
    You can find more information on other wildlife related diseases here.

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