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Review
. 2021 Jun 10;8(7):ofab306.
doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab306. eCollection 2021 Jul.

Revising Conventional Wisdom About Histoplasmosis in the United States

Kaitlin Benedict  1 , Mitsuru Toda  1 , Brendan R Jackson  1
Affiliations
Review

Revising Conventional Wisdom About Histoplasmosis in the United States

Kaitlin Benedict et al. Open Forum Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Studies performed during the 1940s-1960s continue to serve as the foundation of the epidemiology of histoplasmosis given that many knowledge gaps persist regarding its geographic distribution, prevalence, and burden in the United States. We explore 3 long-standing, frequently cited, and somewhat incomplete epidemiologic beliefs about histoplasmosis: (1) histoplasmosis is the most common endemic mycosis in the United States, (2) histoplasmosis is endemic to the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys, and (3) histoplasmosis is associated with bird or bat droppings. We also summarize recent insights about the clinical spectrum of histoplasmosis and changes in underlying conditions associated with the severe forms. Continuing to identify prevention opportunities will require better epidemiologic data, better diagnostic testing, and greater awareness about this neglected disease among health care providers, public health professionals, and the general public.

Keywords: United States; epidemiology; histoplasmosis.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Estimated areas with histoplasmosis in the United States. This map shows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s current estimate of where the fungus that causes histoplasmosis lives in the environment in the United States. Darker shading shows areas where Histoplasma is more likely to live. Diagonal shading shows the potential range of Histoplasma. Histoplasma is not distributed evenly in the shaded areas, might not be present everywhere in the shaded areas, and can also be outside the shaded areas.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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