A deadly plant fungus infects humans, causing flu-like symptoms in the first such case in the worldaccording to the researchers.

The fungus with the scientific name Chondrostereum purpureum causes parasitic lead or silver tint in plants, often in common rose varieties. It is spread by airborne spores and owes its name to the fact that it gradually turns green plant leaves to silvery, a disease that often results in necrosis.

Up to this day, it was not known that it could infect humansHowever, scientists in India have reported what they believe to be the first human case of this pathogenic fungus.

It’s about 61 years old The patient was admitted to a Kolkata hospital with symptoms such as cough, fatigue, difficulty swallowing and hoarseness for three months.

Unlike people who are considered more prone to fungal infections, such as those with cancer, HIV, respiratory diseases and organ transplants, the 61-year-old man had no illnesses.

Himself mycologistwhich involves many hours of work with mushrooms and various vegetable mushrooms.

How is a fungal infection diagnosed?

A CT scan performed on the man showed that the infection had caused an abscess in the paratracheal space, partially blocking his airway.

Doctors drained the pus and prescribed the man a two-month antifungal treatment.

Two years later, he himself is “perfectly healthy” until the infection returns.

However, the doctors who dealt with this case note, publishing on scientific journal Medical Mycology Case Reports,note that this case “raises serious questions” about the ability of plant pathogens to cause disease in healthy humans and animals.

“If fungi can escape the process of phagocytosis and elude the host’s immune system, then they can have established themselves as human pathogens» among other things note

As Professor Elaine Bignell of the MRC Center for Medical Mycology points out, the Indian “may have had some kind of genetic immunodeficiency that we don’t know about. This patient did not have any of the obvious risk factors for fungal disease that we would normally expect to find,” he said.

She stressed that there is no cause for concern, adding, however, that “this is something new that we don’t know much about yet.”

They are believed to exist millions of mushroom speciesand science has recognized only 150,000 of them.

Source: skynews