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Volume 20, Number 3—March 2014
CME ACTIVITY - Synopsis

Invasive Fungal Infections after Natural Disasters

Kaitlin Benedict and Benjamin J. ParkComments to Author 
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Main Article

Table

Disaster-associated fungal infections*

Disaster Reference Location No. cases Fungal organism Type of infection Outcome
Tornado, 2011 Neblett Fanfair et al. (4) USA 13 Apophysomyces trapeziformis Soft tissue 38% all-cause mortality
Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, 2011 Kawakami et al. (5) Japan 1 Aspergillus fumigatus Pulmonary, multi-organ dissemination Death
Nakamura et al. (6) Japan 1 Scedosporium apiospermum Lung and brain abscesses Death
Igusa et al. (7) Japan 1 Pathogen not identified† Sinusitis and meningitis Death
Hurricane Ike, 2008 Riddel et al. (8) USA 3 Unspecified agent of chromoblastomycosis Soft tissue Recovery
Hurricane Katrina, 2005 Rao et al. (9) USA 1 Cladosporium sp. Pulmonary Resolved without treatment
Indian Ocean Tsunami, 2004 Petrini et al. (10) Thailand 2 Cladophialophora bantiana Soft tissue Recovery
Garzoni et al. (11 Thailand 2 Scedosporium apiospermum Spondylodiscitis, 1; brain abscess,1 Recovery
Gunaratne et al. (12) Colombo, Sri Lanka 6 A. fumigatus Meningitis 50% all-cause mortality
Andresen et al. (13) Sri Lanka 1 Apophysomyces elegans Soft tissue Not specified
Snell and Tavakoli (14) Thailand 1 A. elegans Soft tissue Recovery
Maegele et al. (15) Southeast Asia 1 Fusarium sp. Soft tissue, sepsis Death
1 Mucor sp. Soft tissue Not specified
Earthquake, 1994 Schneider et al. (16) USA 203 Coccidioides immitis Pulmonary; 6 (3.7%) disseminated 1.5% all-cause mortality
Volcano, 1985 Patiño et al. (17) Colombia 8 Rhizopus arrhizus Soft tissue 80% all-cause mortality
Dust storm originating near Bakersfield, California, 1977 Flynn et al. (18) USA 115 C. immitis Pulmonary; 16 (14%) disseminated 7% all-cause mortality
Williams et al. (19) USA 18 C. immitis Pulmonary; 4 (22%) disseminated 5.5% all-cause mortality

*As documented in reports with sufficient detail about the number of persons affected, pathogen, and body site. Reports describing cases of post-disaster fungal colonization without infection are not included in the table. Number of cases and percentages are provided when data were available.
†Fungal infection diagnosed on the basis of cerebrospinal fluid profile (decreased glucose, high mononuclear cell count, + β-D glucan test result).

Main Article

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Page created: February 18, 2014
Page updated: February 18, 2014
Page reviewed: February 18, 2014
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