Blastomyces fungus outbreak hits Michigan paper factory

Nearly 100 people have been infected and a dozen hospitalized by a rare fungus linked to a paper factory in Michigan. 

The fungus Blastomyces is feared to have arrived on moist and rotten wood at the Billerud paper mill in Escanaba, in the north of the state.

Experts told DailyMail.com that the scale of the outbreak was ‘extraordinary’ — and, if confirmed, would be the largest recorded in the US ever.

The fungus normally triggers around 6,700 cases and 60 deaths every year, estimates suggest. Outbreaks normally number less than ten cases.

But fungal infections are becoming more common, with health experts warning that they are now the biggest threat to humanity.

All the patients, reported to be workers at the factory, faced symptoms, with some facing ‘severe’ signs of the disease. One has been hospitalized for weeks.

Blastomyces is a mold that lurks in damp soil and leaf litter in the eastern half of the United States.

People can breathe in its spores, which can infect the lungs and cause a ‘cold-like’ illness with symptoms including a cough, fever and chest pain.

In severe cases, the fungus spreads from the lungs to other organs including the muscles, bone and central nervous system. This can trigger complications like encephalitis, or swelling of the brain and spinal cord.

The disease has a mortality rate of about one in 100 patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

It is believed to be the largest outbreak to date, with the current record held by an outbreak in Wisconsin in 2010. 

This involved 55 cases including 30 hospitalizations and two deaths. A source was never identified, but investigators said it may have been linked to outdoor recreational activities.

Michigan has only recorded about 26 cases of the fungus every year for the past half a decade. 

In the current outbreak, a source is also yet to be identified — but it is likely to be linked to rotting wood at the plant.

There are no reports of fatalities or the outbreak involving people who do not work at the mill.

Gerald Kell, who heads up the United Steelworkers Local 21 union representing employees at the plant, told the Detroit Free Press: ‘I’ve been at the paper mill for about 11 years and we have never seen anything like this.

He added: ‘Of course, people are concerned. We aren’t sure where the exposure is coming from. It’s not pinpointed; we have cases throughout the mill. It’s a 2,200-acre facility.’

The outbreak began in early March when local health authorities said they had detected 15 cases, dated to late January and February.

But this number has now swelled to as many as 93 — with an investigation launched and medics ready to quickly test anyone who has fallen ill at the factory for the disease.

Dr William Schaffner, an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University, told DailyMail.com: ‘Outbreaks of blastomycosis are unusual and this outbreak of blastomycosis is extraordinary for its size.

‘It looks as though it is the largest recorded outbreak of blastomycosis in the US.’

Asked how many cases outbreaks normally trigger, he said there were ‘usually ten or fewer infected persons’.

He added that it was unlikely there would be a wider community spread of the fungus, because it is not spread via person-to-person contact and the mill — where the outbreak source is — is set away from the town.

Testing by Public Health for Delta and Menominee Counties (PHDMC) has spotted 19 confirmed cases — patients with symptoms where the fungus has also been seen under a microscope or grown in a lab.

There are also 74 probable cases, which have symptoms of the disease and have tested positive for antibodies that fight the infection.

Mr Kell revealed that ‘roughly a dozen’ people had been hospitalized including one who had been on wards for weeks.

Blastomycosis (stock image of fungus blastomyces) can trigger symptoms that look like a cold in the early stages, but the fungus can then spread to other areas of the body triggering more severe disease

Drugs are available to treat the condition, including antifungals — such as itraconazole — which works by disrupting the wall of fungus cells, causing cell leakage and eventual death.

Those taking these drugs, however, may need to keep using them for up to a year to clear the infection.

The mill is run by Billerud AB, an American Subsidiary of the Swedish pulp and paper manufacturer.

Its vice president Brian Petersen said: ‘The health and safety of our Escanaba employees is our first priority.

‘Although the source of the infection has not been established, we continue to take this matter very seriously and are following recommendations from health and government officials and implementing numerous, proactive steps to protect the health and safety of our employees, contractors and visitors.’

Workers at the mill are now being asked ot wear company-provided N95 masks, the same that were used to protect people from Covid.

Deep cleaning is also underway for ventilation systems in the plant, as advised by health officials, to avoid disease spreading.

Last weekend employees held a fundraiser for those who had fallen sick to help cover healthcare costs, which raised more than $30,000.