Pathfinder
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Bat droppings cause central Alberta outbreak of rare disease
By Matt McClure November 24, 2011
When Donna Rudd began suffering extreme shortness of breath, severe muscle pains and extreme blistering on her hands last June, her mind raced back to an incident a week earlier when she?d cleaned dead bats and a bucket of their droppings from the base of her home?s chimney.
But it would take numerous visits to hospital and a battery of tests in the ensuing months for doctors to determine the Ponoka woman was one of three confirmed and two suspected cases infected in a central Alberta outbreak after exposure to the flying mammal?s feces.
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?The doctors said at first that it was a case of the flu, but I felt like the life was being sucked out of my bones.?
After noting an X-ray in the emergency ward showed a spot on her lungs, her family physician ordered a CT scan which showed that her pulmonary tract was covered in lesions and wart-like nodules.
?My doctor said your lungs are a mess,? said Rudd, ?and since then I?ve been on antifungal medications to stop the fungus from growing.?
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?My doctor said your lungs are a mess,? said Rudd, ?and since then I?ve been on antifungal medications to stop the fungus from growing.?
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While most people exposed to the fungus have only mild symptoms that require no medical attention, the disease can be debilitating for patients with chronic lung disease or depressed immune systems.
Earlier this year, the province started requiring doctors and labs to notify health officials of any confirmed cases of histoplasmosis so they can track its spread.Dr. Ifeoma Achebe, a medical officer of health with the central zone of Alberta Health Services, said people should use an industrial-strength respirator before handling dry bat or bird droppings and wet down areas with bleach before cleaning up any residue.