infections
Blastomycosis
Symptoms of Blastomycosis
Sometimes blastomycosis of the lungs causes no symptoms or causes symptoms that disappear quickly and are not recognized. When symptoms do occur, they can begin abruptly or gradually. They include a fever, chills, and drenching sweats. Chest pain, difficulty breathing, and a hacking cough that may or may not bring up sputum may also develop. The lung infection usually progresses slowly, but people sometimes get better without treatment. In some people, infection progresses rapidly. When blastomycosis spreads from the lungs, it can affect many areas of the body, but the most common sites are the following: Skin Bones Reproductive and urinary tracts (including the prostate gland) Brain and the tissues that cover it Skin infection begins as very small, raised bumps (papules), which may contain pus. Raised, warty patches then develop, surrounded by tiny, painless collections of pus (abscesses). Tissues over infected bones may become swollen, warm, and painful. In men, the coiled tube on top of a testis (epididymis) may swell, causing pain, or infection of the prostate gland (prostatitis) may cause discomfort. In women, genital problems are less common, but blastomycosis can cause an abscess (a pocket of pus) to form in the ovaries and fallopian tubes, an infection in the lining of the uterus, and an infection of the fallopian tubes. Fungi can spread to the tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord (meninges), causing fungal meningitis. Abscess of the Brain may develop in the brain. This infection can cause headache and confusion. 