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Epidemiologic and Ecologic Features of Blastomycosis: A Review

Current Fungal Infection Reports volume 6, pages 327–335 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Blastomycosis is a potentially fatal infection caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis, a fungus endemic to North America in areas surrounding the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys and the Great Lakes. The clinical manifestations, diagnostic techniques, and treatment strategies for blastomycosis are relatively well-described in the literature; however, the epidemiologic features of disease are not as clearly defined as those of other endemic mycoses, such as histoplasmosis and coccidioidomycosis. We review the ecologic and epidemiologic aspects of B. dermatitidis and blastomycosis, including geographic distribution, environmental niche, seasonality, and possible risk factors.

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The findings and conclusions of this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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K. Benedict: none; M. Roy: none; T. Chiller: none; J. P. Davis: none.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mycotic Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA

    Kaitlin Benedict, Monika Roy & Tom Chiller

  2. Bureau of Communicable Diseases and Emergency Response, Wisconsin Division of Public Health, Madison, WI, USA

    Jeffrey P. Davis

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  1. Kaitlin Benedict
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  2. Monika Roy
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  4. Jeffrey P. Davis
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Correspondence to Kaitlin Benedict.

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Benedict, K., Roy, M., Chiller, T. et al. Epidemiologic and Ecologic Features of Blastomycosis: A Review. Curr Fungal Infect Rep 6, 327–335 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12281-012-0110-1

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Keywords

  • Blastomycosis
  • Blastomyces
  • Fungus
  • Epidemiology
  • Ecology
  • Risk factor
  • Prevention