Histoplasmosis Outbreak Associated with the Renovation of an Old House

Jean-Luc Grenier MD

Quebec, Canada, 2013

Employers need to provide the appropriate protective equipment and reinforce the necessity of applying protective measures during demolition work, including when handling debris away from work site.

Histoplasmosis is an infrequent respiratory disease caused by inhalation of a fungus spores. Bats and birds can excrete the organism in their droppings and it persists in the environment for several years. Outbreaks can occur when demolition work produces dust containing bird or bat droppings. During the renovation of an old house,

30 workers and residents were exposed to dust from bird or bat droppings previously hidden in the brick walls. 14 of them developed symptoms of histoplasmosis.  Of the four who were laboratory-confirmed, two were hospitalized. There was a strong link between illness and high exposure to dust during demolition of the exterior walls, but also with the handling of contaminated debris away from the work site.

Chinese Bats Likely Source of SARS Virus

,Scientists say they've produced "the clearest evidence yet" the SARS virus originated in Chinese horseshoe bats and that direct bat-to-human transmission is "plausible." The 2002 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) pandemic was one of the most significant public health events in recent history and researchers have been studying the virus to better understand how it is transmitted to prepare for future outbreaks.

 

Photo by Dr. Libiao Zhang,

Researchers say the Chinese horseshoe bat is likely the source of the 2002 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) pandemic.

An international research team - with participants in China, Australia, Singapore and the U.S. - has published its results in the journal Nature. "Our discovery that bats carrying SARS-CoV may be able to directly infect humans has enormous implications for public health control measures," stated co-author Dr. Peter Daszak, president of the New York-based EcoHealth Alliance.

The results are based on genetic analysis of samples taken over the course of a year from members of a horseshoe bat colony in Kunming, China. At least seven different strains of SL-CoVs were found to be circulating within the single group of bats. The findings highlight the importance of research programs targeting high-risk wildlife groups in emerging disease hotspots to predict, prepare for and prevent pandemics, the researchers suggest.

"Our findings suggest that SARS-like coronaviruses are diverse and abundant in bats in Asia, and the potential for future spillover remains high," Daszak noted. "If we add this to the recent finding that Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) originates in Saudi Arabian bats, it's strong evidence that bat coronaviruses remain a substantial global threat to public health."

source: Fogarty International Center

10/22/2013 Daily Health News, Breast Milk Contaminated, Hepatitis C Outbreak, Government Shutdown Ruins Years of Research, MERS Linked to Bats

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Health officials probe hepatitis C outbreak in ND

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MERS Again Linked to Bats

The point of origin for the MERS virus continues to baffle scientists. New evidence once again suggests that the deadly virus is linked to bats. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is one of the latest problem viruses to have emerged this decade. MERS-CoV is the sixth new type of coronavirus like SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).Source: Continue Reading