User talk:Cheyliew/sandbox

Histoplasmosis duboisii commentary
Hey Cheyliew,

I've had the chance to review your page. Overall, I think it's good and you have found a lot of information from 10 references. The first thing I'd suggest is touching base with Prof Scott to see his book collection: he has many books on all kinds of fungi, and you will probably find much more information about your fungus from the books. And, if you haven't noticed, he and Prof Summerbel are very knowledgeable about various fungi and would be great resources too. Also, the course wiki has a big list of online resources that you may find useful.

I'd love to see a picture of this fungus - both a petri-dish/culture picture and a picture of the lesions. I think it would be helpful for people looking to learn more about the fungus. Is it possible you could add some information on how to culture it, and what kinds of mediums work best? It's great that you provide a bit of information on how to differentiate it from Histoplasma capsulatum, though I think a bit more detail would be helpful. Also, can you explore the "co-existence" you mention between the two fungi - does this mean people are often infected with both? Does this mean they tend to grow in the same spaces/environments? Histoplasmosis capsulatum has pages both at the CDC and Health Canada, and the histoplasmosis infection in general is considered an occupation hazard in Canada. Here are the links:

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/diseases/histopla.html

http://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/histoplasmosis/

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/lab-bio/res/psds-ftss/histoplasma-capsulatum-eng.php

You note that it is an opportunistic infection, and that it affects rural populations. I wanted to ask you if it also infects immunocompromised individuals (i.e. cancer patients, transplant patients, etc...). I also read your list of rural people as more of a group of occupations that exist in rural areas of the countries you highlight. If it's found in bat guano, the cave guides make sense. Do farmers use guano as fertilizer in these countries? How do they acquire and utilize it? How do traders get exposed to it? I think with rural you mean it's seen less in urban centres than it is in rural areas, and that particular groups of people are at higher risk of infection due to higher rates of exposure to sources. Is that correct? Perhaps you could clarify that when you write it up. If it is the case that these occupations place an individual at higher risk, can these people also become reservoirs and expose their families? (I'm thinking along the lines of the m. canis dermatophyte that may go undiagnosed in a beloved pet cat, but keeps infecting the children in the household).

I'm also curious about the cost of the anti-fungal medications - are these affordable meds? How long does someone have to take it? I assume it's an oral medication? Also, how is the fungus culture from a person - is it through blood samples, lung biopsies, scrapings from the skin lesions, etc...? This is important medically.

What is the link between the fungus and the bat guano? Does the bat population get infected by it somehow (and if so, do you know how?) and then poop it out, or does it exist in the soil and get mixed in with the guano when the guano lands on the ground? These are some things to think about.

Lastly, I'm sure you plan to do this in the end, though I thought I'd suggest it in case you haven't considered doing it: link to Wikipedia pages! For example, you could link Histoplasmosis capsulatum to:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histoplasmosis

and you could also link opportunistic infection to:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunistic_infection

It's very helpful for people who may be unfamiliar with these topics, or who are hoping to learn more.

I hope this is helpful - again, I think overall you've covered most of the bases in terms of the fungus and what's interesting/relevant about it. Feel free to comment back!

Clrlpn1 (talk) 23:20, 29 October 2015 (UTC)