Doctors are worried. In India, a man was first infected with the fungus Chondrostereum purpureum. Otherwise, the pathogen only kills trees. This is known about the case.
A man has contracted the fungus Chondrostereum purpureum. (symbol photo) Image: Adobe Stock/weinkoetz
Fungal infections are on the rise. This has recently spread in the USA fungal fever and several Candida auris infections have also been recorded in the States. Now doctors are worried about a fungus that otherwise only affects trees.
Plant fungus affects humans for the first time: man infected with Chondrostereum purpureum
It is the first time that the pathogen Chondrostereum purpureum has infected a human. Researchers from India report in a case study published in “Medical Mycology Case Reportswas published, about a 61-year-old man. The patient suffered from a sore throat and went to a hospital in Kolkata. The man, who worked as a mycologist with rotten mushrooms, had not been able to swallow properly for a long time. During an examination, doctors found one Abscess in the lymph nodes next to his windpipe.
The doctors initially assumed a bacterial infection. Tests came back negative. Then they drained pus. It turned out that the infection was caused by a fungus. Exactly which fungal strain caused the symptoms was further investigated. Doctors performed a DNA test with the help of a World Health Organization laboratory. It was Chondrostereum purpureum. The man was on antifungal therapy and has been healthy for two years.
Silver leaf disease: Chondrostereum purpureum otherwise only kills trees
Chondrostereum purpureum causes silver disease in trees and other plants. The spores settle on leaves and make them appear metallic before the plants die. In humans, the pathogen “gets into the human body via injured skin and the respiratory tract and can cause an infection, especially in immunocompromised people,” explained Dr. Soma Dutta of Apollo Multispeciality Hospitals. However, the man had no previous illnesses such as diabetes mellitus or HIV.
Researchers are concerned that the fungus can also harm human health. “That animal and human diseases can be caused by plant pathogens is a new concept that raises serious questions,” said Dr. Dutta.
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