I should say “around” the river, or the lakes and such here. It’s naturally occuring and the spores are released in the fall. So, if you’re hiking, fishing, swimming, etc... you can come in contact with it. The spores are inhaled and it usually shows up in the lungs, but for some reason it decided to hang around her body for a while and set up shop in a her hip and calf... Even just tripping into a pile of leaves for instance could send up an invisible cloud of spores, you inhale it, and you’ve got it. It can’t be spread from person to person unless the actual “pus” (fungal stuff) is oozing out of the body and comes in contact with someone’s bloodstream. If it settles in your lungs you body can’t get it out on its own for some reason. Hence the need for very long term anti-fungals.
Our dog actually had this same condition 3 years ago, and was deathly ill for several weeks — he survived thank God as the vet was very familiar with this. You can’t get it from your pet or anything, but it’s common in animals around here, too.
I don’t know how common it is in other parts of the country, but it’s just one of those things that’s always around - nothing you can do to prevent it unless you want to stay inside 365 days/year! LOL
Thanks again everyone! I’ve got to get offline and get some good sleep - another big day tomorrow, but Praise God for we are all so relieved! And Praise God for all the Doctors, and nurses at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital (part of the Marshfield Clinic)! They are all ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!
Epidemiology
In the United States, blastomycosis is endemic in the Mississippi river and Ohio river basins and around the Great Lakes. The annual incidence is less than 1 case per 100,000 people in Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Arkansas. The cases are greater in northern states such as Wisconsin, where from 1986 to 1995 there were 1.4 cases per 100,000 people.[5] It also frequently affects hunting dogs in northern Wisconsin and the upper Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers.[6]
In Canada, most cases of blastomycosis occur in Northwestern Ontario, particularly around the Kenora area. The moist, acidic soil in the surrounding woodland harbors the fungus.
Blastomycosis is distributed internationally; cases are sometimes reported from Africa.[7]
You know what..that WAS an episode of House. The dad and son were hunters. The spores were dormant in a cyst and when one of them got in a fistfight, the cyst ruptured and the spores were released and he got really sick. I can't remember which season it was.