Health officials in Manitoba and northwest Ontario are warning cottagers to educate themselves about blastomycosis, a rare, but potentially deadly fungal disease (see whole CBC news article at http://winnipeg.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=mb_blasto20050812). But what is blastomycosis? Blastomycosis is a fungal disease caused by the fungus Blastomyces dermatitidis. Blastomyces dermatitidis is a biosafety level 3 organism, meaning that it may cause severe human disease and it may present a risk of spreading to the community, but there are usually effective preventive measures or treatment available. The fungus is endemic to many areas of the world including Eastern USA, Canada, South America and Africa. The disease symptoms may include flu, pneumonia, and skin infection.




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