PNEUMONIA SYMPTOMS?

WHEN TO CONSIDER BLASTOMYCOSIS TESTING

Think About Blastomycosis if

You live in or have recently traveled to an area affected by blastomycosis*

+

You have respiratory symptoms suggestive of pneumonia (such as fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, and fatigue)

Fever

Chills

Cough

Shortness of Breath

Chest Pain

Fatigue

*The areas potentially affected by Blastomyces continue to expand. See Dr. Spec’s commentary.

Consider asking about fungal testing for:

Lingering symptoms despite a course of antibiotics [learn more]

Consider Blastomycosis Testing When Symptoms
Persist Despite a Course of Antibiotics

You live in or have recently traveled to an area affected by blastomycosis

+

You have respiratory symptoms suggestive of pneumonia

+

Your pneumonia symptoms persist
after at least one course of antibiotics given without confirmation of a bacterial infection (empiric therapy).

↓

You should get tested for blastomycosis before getting another round of antibiotics.

High exposure risk plus suspicious clues [learn more]

Consider Blastomycosis Testing for High Exposure Risk
and Suspicious Clues

You live in or have recently traveled to an area affected by blastomycosis

+

You have respiratory symptoms suggestive of pneumonia

+

Cutaneous lesions consistent with possible disseminated blastomycosis

OR

You have been linked to a known blastomycosis outbreak

↓

You should be tested when you first see a healthcare provider for your
symptoms.

HOW DOES TESTING USUALLY WORK?

Urine enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) antigen testing

  • Source: Urine
  • What it’s testing for: antigen (fungal material that is shed into the urine and recognized by the test)
    • Fast, yes/no results (quick turnaround time)
  • Disadvantages
    • Can also react with the fungus that causes histoplasmosis (but this is usually ok because they are treated similarly)

Other Testing:

Other tests are also sometimes used to test for blastomycosis. For instance, if the urine antigen test is negative and the doctor still thinks you might have blastomycosis, they can take a biopsy of any skin spots and look at it under the microscope for the Blastomyces organism. They can also take sputum or a washing of your lung for culture (grow it on a plate) or to look at it under the microscope. Sometimes, antibody testing (which picks up the immune response) on serum (part of the blood) can be performed as well, but this test misses a lot of cases. The serum antibody test can be helpful if you are trying to distinguish between a blastomycosis and histoplasmosis infection. For more details about these tests, please see CDC’s Testing Algorithm for Blastomycosis.