Aspergillus

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"Farmer's Lung"
Aspergillus
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Case Study
ID/CC A 38 year old male receiving
chemotherapy (immunocompromised) for acute
leukemia presents with chest pain, fever, and
chills. HPI He also complains of being tired,
and a productive cough. P.E. Fever, severe
respiratory distress, wheezing heard in the
lungs, grayish spots present on the chest x-ray.
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Origin
Aspergillus, the pathogen, is a group of molds
found worldwide. Especially in the autumn and
winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
The technical name for Farmer's Lung, the
disease, is "extrinsic allergic alveolitis",
"hypersensitivity alveolitis" or more generally
"hypersensitivity pneumonitis".
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Transmission
Farmer's Lung is an allergic disease usually
caused by breathing in the dust from moldy hay.
However, dust from any moldy crop--straw, corn,
silage, grain, or even tobacco--can also cause
Farmer's Lung.
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Symptoms

• shortness of breath
• feeling of general illness (malaise), either in
  a sudden attack or as a slow, progressive
  disease.
• dry irritating cough
• fever and chills
• rapid heart rate and breathing

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Mortality Rate
lengthy exposure can cause permanent lung damage,
physical disability, or even death.
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Collected Statistics
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Diagnostic Procedures

• lung x-ray
• blood test for antibodies,
• pulmonary lavage test to examine the contents in
  a small area of the lungs
• lung function tests to examine air flowing into
  the lungs and gas exchange from the lungs to the
  blood
• lung allergy challenge test to identify the
  specific cause of the allergic reaction
• lung biopsy to examine lung tissue in more
  serious cases.

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Treatment Cure
Treatment Cure
For acute attacks avoid further contact with
moldy dust. For serious cases bed rest is
recommended and oxygen therapy may be needed to
relieve shortness of breath
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Preventative Measures

• avoid crop spoilage and production of bacterial
  or mold spores that cause the allergic reaction.
• Workers must also take precautions to avoid
  breathing in spores from moldy crops.

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Bibliography
http//www.tigr.org/tdb/e2k1/afu1/intro.shtml
http//www.cdriindia.org/elisa_tests.htm
http//www.sanger.ac.uk/Projects/A_fumigatus/
http//www.probuy.net/products/farmerlunginfo.html