Tropical fungus killed 4 on Vancouver Island

VICTORIA, B.C. – Four people, dozens of dogs and cats, 11 porpoises and a horse have died from a rare tropical fungus since it was detected on Vancouver Island in 1999, a study has concluded.

The research by a team of scientists from the University of British Columbia and the British Columbia Center for Disease Control also concluded that 101 island residents and visitors have been infected by the rare cryptococcus gattii fungus.

According to their report in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the fungus is 37 times more infectious on the Island than in Australia, where it has long been prevalent.

The fungus causes a potentially life-threatening infection of the lungs and central nervous system. Invisible airborne spores from the fungus have been detected over more than 125 miles from Victoria to Courtenay on the east side of the island.

One fungus survivor, Ken James, 53, of Duncan, a former sawmill worker, said Tuesday he knew something was wrong about two years ago when he began experiencing persistent lethargy, sweating and a strange cough.

Only after seeing a television news report about the fungus, and asking his doctor to check, did he learn what was wrong, James said. “I was 51 at the time and I certainly had a fair amount of energy,” he said.

“All of a sudden I was very, very tired. I could barely make it through the day without having a midday nap.

“I had night sweats,” said James, “sometimes having to change the bedding a couple times a night. I had headaches. I had a funny tickle in my chest-throat area, and it just wasn’t normal for me to have that.”

Scientists said there was no cause for panic, nor should outdoor activity be restricted.

“It’s a rare disease. It’s treatable and the majority of the cases are in older people over the age of 65 who have other underlying conditions,” said Dr. Perry Kendall, British Columbia’s provincial health officer.

Doctors and veterinarians are now more aware of the fungus than in 1999, Kendall added. “Now people with unexplained fevers or lung lesions for which there’s no obvious cause, the physicians are thinking cryptococcus gattii a little bit sooner than they would have otherwise,” he said.