An urban epidemic of North American blastomycosis

Abstract

Five culturally proved cases of blastomycosis occurred in a 9-month period during 1974 and 1975 in a western suburb of Chicago. All patients lived within a 1-mile radius of the center of Westmont, Ill. (population, 12,000). Three of these patients lived in adjacent buildings in the same apartment complex. None of the patients had significant outdoor exposure. Dust from a nearby construction site was postulated as a possible common source, although soil cultures from the area were negative. This is the third chronologic epidemic of the blastomycosis; a fourth one has been reported. It is the only outbreak to occur in a major metropolitan area.