PNEUMONIA SYMPTOMS?

WHEN TO CONSIDER BLASTOMYCOSIS TESTING

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

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

Fever

Chills

Cough

Shortness of Breath

Chest Pain

Fatigue

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

SCENARIO 1: HIGH EXPOSURE RISK (AS DESCRIBED BELOW) WITH OTHER CLUES

You have concerning skin spot(s) on your skin. OR

You have been linked to a known blastomycosis outbreak

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

SCENARIO 2: YOU HAVE EXPOSURE RISK AND PERSISTENT SYMPTOMS

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

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

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 or to look at it under the microscope. Sometimes, antibody testing 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.