The infectious disease expert at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has confirmed that a young man has lost his life due to Histoplasmosis, a rare fungal infection.
Talking to a local media outlet, the head of the infectious diseases hospital at PIMS, Nasim Akhtar, said that they received two patients, including the deceased individual who was admitted six months ago.
She added that the patient was diagnosed with the help of a biopsy and culture. However, she emphasized the need for the availability of Urinary Histoplasma Antigen tests to diagnose more patients.
Furthermore, the doctors managed to save the other patient suffering from the rare disease with the help of anti-fungal medicines. Regarding the disease, Professor Nasim stated that histoplasmosis, a fungal infection, thrives in soil with high levels of bird or bat droppings.
According to her, despite suspecting a rare infection most of the time, they can’t properly treat the patients due to lack of a confirmed diagnosis. Additionally, Nasim Akhtar said that the provision of diagnostic facilities can help them save the lives of patients with targeted therapies.
On the other hand, the infectious disease expert at the Indus Hospital, Dr. Naseem Salahuddin, said that no cases of Histoplasmosis have been reported by any infectious diseases expert from across the country.
“Not all fungi, parasites or bacteria are necessarily present in every region of the world,” he told a national daily. However, he added that Aspergillus and candida are some of the most common fungal infections.
