Fungus in Bat Poop Used To Grow Cannabis Kills Two in New York

[Mary Wilson]

Published Dec 17, 2024 at 12:27 PM EST
By Jess Thomson
Science Reporter

Two men have died in New York after attempting to grow cannabis in bat excrement.

The men, based in Rochester, New York, died after contracting a rare fungal infection in their lungs from the bat guano they were intending to use as a fertilizer to grow marijuana, according to a new paper in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

After breathing in spores of a fungus called Histoplasma capsulatum, which was hidden within the bat poop, the men developed a pneumonia condition called histoplasmosis. One man, aged 59, had bought the bat guano online, while the other, aged 64, found the feces in his own attic after a "heavy bat infestation". ...

https://www.newsweek.com/cannabis-fertilizer-fungal-spore-infection-deadly-infection-2002189

[Mary Wilson]

Histoplasmosis Associated With Bat Guano Exposure in Cannabis Growers: 2 Cases

Published: 05 December 2024

https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofae711

Paulina Sudnik, Patrick Passarelli, Angela Branche, Ellen Giampoli, Ted Louie

Abstract

Histoplasma capsulatum is a pathogenic dimorphic fungus with evolving epidemiology. Initially described as endemic to the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys, the infection now regularly occurs in central and eastern United States, with cases reported across the entire country. Transmission happens via inhalation of conidia during activities that disturb fungal hyphae. Sporadic cases related to individual exposures now outnumber work-related outbreak cases in the United States. We describe 2 fatal cases of histoplasmosis in Rochester, New York, associated with exposure to bat guano as a fertilizer for cannabis cultivation, including 1 case in which it was commercially obtained.

https://watermark.silverchair.com/ofae711.pdf?token=AQECAHi208BE49Ooan9kkhW_Ercy7Dm3ZL_9Cf3qfKAc485ysgAAA1YwggNSBgkqhkiG9w0BBwagggNDMIIDPwIBADCCAzgGCSqGSIb3DQEHATAeBglghkgBZQMEAS4wEQQMhmRDRRrrJQz0n0XbAgEQgIIDCRnxHcELiowySq1OzxlBb186GFkHBWuqtIYbmKSTkRuQkQHzwq6CNAjZjdt4rFLJD8en1v_Apejmx-DuBxSGO0Apn5XpD8HYfQYmDPblKX_hRdiWFqlKQAbybBPoOB2RoFzWQx4XDrF8BCz6UMXeOsjwRjebOvrpPvwOKe3CDvjcMvZk_Wq13F1UhsFQAPjbyRtLfifw5XmYWq66FXrj3DJpXyt7We1p6cIDOuU5BTIW9B-lHTLA8j3rL1P5qksMBrkXf2OkxmGiNhxgPZ-15-mMeMZ7BdRwawH859NWDg8PdxsKfUJDyyW_QFaqSbHvZWJH8h6OKHD_ye7l73EKkuNcE2VWNtQthcaKbnEUdoYqUUmlDqJU98GRGSx1J0yyADk-r0bepG416ttmSVicRerlbjtLIqbbKv8nPDD2CCJfRMFusky8vohQh8uValzjHawkHhd_Xjs6HJ6oPxcclpWLiSq0uH5f17sa-TwD5Sd8E4Rbaj5jrR-amW7DtZijFMZkXT6uaWCfZQv_UyjcRRETugnCkK0VM2Kjzk5pWpOw6bL0XJpKWhyIZZg52klyGzDi_vDOgMyIMCOw8h97teGsVVWc8j3AfmMENYbPbjj5H-xSilUMdRJQBwPrH0h_qvZDRNs5oVpQn_au68jO3xdyrBXL2YuhNuiH_yD5hH3jhSj6GVs49qutNvHWt0gE6A9WAqGmvj7uYcOhQuJPaUDRO6dyY8dMqQooQlT0e2D5Ti-3y1rHruZLqs4HnizK3aF8nmRw9cSElqo_MdX8XlBbtT6djdqq8foBiGP876KoUEbU5WepHPV0kVLWmLNUbC2BQCCKZUZWNhFZYvkKGcAGV_5n9aGhq7N0t3bxz09ZvWKYQ2NGThsreK0JzY9f_lTvXZH6hf19hTRS8dNTLbbproemUK7YEHM8XCbEWC4w7_iP5N7AXqWSjFFqmBd3GBfeagHi29QIgPlNsCSJJPXAOEcz6TdDsdDn1k2_OHVvfNwz2aYqe0pjJDu4ibdiQCuVLl5eVuz8Lw