What is histoplasmosis?

Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection that some animals carry. The disease can go unnoticed for a certain amount of time and then manifest its symptoms suddenly. Usual symptoms of histoplasmosis are nausea,muscle pain,pain in the chest and vomiting. A more severe form of this disease can develop in infants and elderly,and it can sometimes be fatal. Histoplasmosis usually spreads through contact with animal feces. If animals who are infected with histoplasmosis enter a human home, they can spread the disease to both people and pets.



Histoplasmosis is a type of a fungal infection that is often found in animals like birds and bats. Through their feces,birds and bats can this dangerous disease to other animals,causing outbreaks. These outbreaks can cause a substantial amount of damage,particularly if a larger number of animals, like on a farm, get infected. In particular, animals like pigeons and bats are most frequently blamed for transmitting histoplasmosis. But, how do people actually get infected with histoplasmosis, and what should a person do to protect themselves against this dangerous disease?

First things first, people are more likely to contract histoplasmosis if their home is infested with other animals, or if they are living in a home with a larger number of animals. Most often, people fear contracting histoplasmosis from animals they infest their home, bats amongst them. But, is it possible to contract histoplasmosis from a bat, and how would disease spread?

The fact is, people can get infected with histoplasmosis from bats, especially in situations of larger home infestations. To remind, bats who carry this fungal infection spread it through their feces, or guano. When bats infest a home, they will leave a substantial amount of guano behind. Their feces can be found across the entire household, but the biggest concentration of the feces will be on those spots that bats occupy during the longest period of time, and in the biggest number. This means that the place where bats are roosting will be a place where you will find the biggest amount of guano, and these places carry the biggest risk of spreading histoplasmosis. The disease can spread in unhygienic conditions, and through unprotected contact with the feces. To avoid infection, people are advised to stay away from bat’s guano, and hire a professional service to disinfect their home, if they find themselves in a situation of infestation.

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