He didn't know why his speech became grating and his voice became more hoarse over a year. Doctors discovered that the man had a problem with his throat.
According to the report of the man's case, he appeared to be in good health when he went to the Pennsylvania clinic. The man, in his 60s, reported that he'd developed "progressively worsening hoarseness" over the last year. He had previously been treated with a standard treatment for asthma, but his symptoms weren't improving.
Doctors used a high-speed technique to look at the man's vocal folds. The airway to the patient's throat had been narrowed due to the swelling in the tissue lining the throat. The doctors found that the man's tissue was swollen, irregular and "friable" to the touch, meaning it could easily be torn.
The patches of dead laryngeal cells were found surrounded by clusters of immune cells, suggesting that the cells had died off due to inflammation. The immune cells had surrounded the yeast cells and begun to destroy them.
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The yeast that caused the blastomycosis was identified by a test.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that B. dermatitidis thrives in moist soil and decomposing wood and leaves. The species is found in the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys, the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River in the U.S. Most people don't get sick from being exposed to the fungus, but they can get blastomycosis if they breathe in it.
If you have a weakened immune system, you're more likely to get sick if you breathe in the fungus. According to the CDC, the infections can spread to the lungs, skin, bones, and the brain and spine.
The man's fungus was only found in his larynx, which is quite unusual. His doctors noted in the case report thataryngeal blastomycosis is a rare extrapulmonary symptom.
He had a breathing tube placed in his windpipe and a feeding tube placed in his stomach, due to the obstruction of his airway. He had his feeding tube removed after receiving a long-term prescription for the antifungal drug itraconazole.
The swelling in the man's throat had gone down after a five-month follow-up. His breathing tube was removed as well.
It was originally published on Live Science
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