First human infection with plant-killing fungus

fears mushroom from The Last of Us are starting to show up in real life as a 61-year-old Indian was reported as the first human case of Chondrostereum purpureum, a fungus that has been dubbed the “tree killer”. Among other symptoms, the patient suffered from cough, sore throat and fatigue.

The information was presented in detail in a recent study published in Medical Mycology Case Reports.

He Chondrostereum purple, an organism that has been called the “tree killer” because it causes silver leaf, a fungal disease that is fatal to many types of plants and trees.

After performing an x-ray computed tomography of his neck, the doctors realized that the patient had contracted the same silver leaf disease, represented by an abscess in his trachea: “This is the first case of this type in which this plant fungus has caused the disease. in humans,” the authors say.

In this case, the researchers believe they have demonstrated the ability of certain fungi to seek out new hosts and infect humans, especially those with weak immune systems.

The case of this mycologist is evidence that the fungus can spread among healthy people. The man does not remember that he had contact with C. purple, but during his work he dealt with decaying material and other fungi.