Kolkata Man Becomes First Human to be Infected by Deadly Plant Disease

A man from Kolkata has become the first person to be diagnosed with a fungal disease that typically affects plants.

The person whose name isn’t disclosed is a 61-year-old plant mycologist. This, according to the researchers, shows how plant infections can spread to humans when in close contact with plant fungi. This is the first instance of a plant fungus causing disease in a human.

The doctors who are following this case study wrote in a report that was published in the Medical Mycology Case Reports journal.

Reportedly, the person was suffering from a hoarse voice, cough, fatigue, and difficulties swallowing for three months after which he went to a hospital.

Hospital documents of the man showed that "he had no history of diabetes, HIV infection, renal disease, any chronic disease, immunosuppressive drug intake, or trauma.”

The plant mycologist had been working with decaying material, mushrooms, and various plant fungi for a long time as part of his research activities.

X-ray and CT scans were done on the patient. The chest X-ray came back normal, but the CT scan showed a paratracheal abscess in the neck, reports said. It is worth noting that such abscesses, which can block airways, can be deadly if not detected and treated on priority.

After several tests, the fungus could not be identified phenotypically, so it was sent to the “WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference & Research on Fungi of Medical importance" in India which identified it as Chondrostereum purpureum by DNA sequencing.

The man's neck abscess was detected and surgically treated to drain it, according to the doctors. Following this, the x-ray revealed nothing abnormal, and the patient received a course of antifungal medication.

“Among the millions of fungi present in the environment only a few hundreds of fungi are able to infect humans and animals. That animal and human diseases can be caused by plant pathogens is a new concept that raises serious questions regarding the propensity of such infection to occur in healthy as well as immunocompromised individuals," the research said.

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