The former footballer Javier Yacuzzi died suddenly at the age of 43 after contracting an infection Mexicowhere he was working as part of the club’s coaching staff Queretaro.
At first, it was learned that the Argentine would have contracted a virus, however, according to the indicated newspaper of queretaro, the cause of death had been a disease called Histoplasmosisan infection caused by inhaling the microscopic spores of a fungus (Histoplasma capsulatum) that is often found in soils with large amounts of bird and bat droppings.
What is Histoplasmosis?
The infectious disease doctor Leda Guzzimember of the Argentine Society of Infectious Diseases (MN 108.630), in dialogue with Urban Radio Playyou said that Histoplasmosis is an infectious disease caused by a fungus that does not proliferate in any environment, but it needs certain specific conditions. “This fungus usually finds good conditions for its growth in places where there are droppings from birds, pigeons, and bats,” says the doctor.
This occurs because the fecal matter of these animals has high levels of nitrogen, which creates a favorable ground for the growth of the fungus.
And then he added: “The disease is caused by a fungus that is widely distributed in the world.It is widely reported in the North American area such as the United States, Canada, and Mexico, it also has a presence in the Southern Cone, and in our territory it is an endemic fungus.”
“It usually generates an asymptomatic or self-limited infection. Only in very few cases the disease can be serious or life-threateningwith extensive pulmonary involvement with spread to other tissues”, defined the specialist.
For some people, especially babies and people with weakened immune systems, histoplasmosis can be serious. The CDC details that, in severe cases, it can develop into a long-term lung infection, or it can spread from the lungs to other parts of the body, such as the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord).
PA
