Blastomycosis in Quebec, Canada: Highlighting the Importance of Exposure to Decaying Wood in Patients

Abstract

Blastomycosis is a systemic and cutaneous fungal infection of humans, dogs, cats and other animals that has been reported from parts of North America, Africa and India. In most areas the disease occurs predominantly in individuals exposed to rural agricultural, recreational or wilderness environments. The precise ecological niche for Blastomyces dermatitidis remains undefined. In the current work we report a series of cases of blastomycosis in Quebec associated with exposure to wood as a possible source of infection. This work is consistent with previous reports that demonstrate that wood and wood by-products are able to support the growth of B. dermatitidis and can play an important role in disease pathogenesis. Our findings suggest that it may be important to question blastomycosis patients about exposure to decaying wood as a possible source for acquiring the infection.