Histoplasmosis After a Field Trip to the Ugandan Rainforest

Thirteen of 24 students developed acute respiratory illness after exposure to a bat-infested tree; histoplasmosis was diagnosed in most.

After 1 of 24 students participating in a multinational biology field trip to Uganda developed fever, dry cough, and diffuse bilateral miliary changes on chest x-ray suggestive of acute histoplasmosis, healthcare workers used social media and an alert in ProMED-mail to gather data on other symptomatic students. They e-mailed questionnaires to these individuals to determine the clinical details of their illness and to identify exposure to potential sources of histoplasmosis infection during the trip.

Thirteen students aged 21 to 31 from 10 countries developed acute respiratory illness — 9 of them ≤15 days after leaving the rainforest. At least three were hospitalized, including one in an intensive care unit; at least six were thought to have …

Reviewing Author

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine