A Podcast on Blastomycosis
On left, mold; on right, yeast
Blastomycosis is an illness caused by a microscopic fungus called Blastomyces. Blastomyces can cause infection in healthy people, immunocompromised people, and animals alike. Blastomyces lives outdoors in soil and can occur in many places throughout the world, but just like good cheese and cold winters, Wisconsin is the premier place to find it.
So whether you’re here because you want to know more about blastomycosis, its treatment, its relationship to dogs, or why you should avoid beaver dams, you’ll find your answers and more at “Think Blasto!”
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Podcast Episodes
Blasting Blasto – Treatment of Blastomycosis
Tuesday, August 10, 2021
In this podcast, we discuss how blastomycosis is treated, what medications are used, medication side effects, and how successful is treatment.
Antifungal drugs with activity against Blastomyces include Amphotericin B, Itraconazole, Voriconazole, Posaconazole, Isavuconazonium Sulfate, and Fluconazole.
Caveat: this episode was recorded during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. To follow social distancing guidelines, this recording was done in different locations, which resulted in slight discrepancies in voicing.
Broad-Based Budding Yeast: How to Diagnose Blastomycosis
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
In this episode, we will learn about how blastomycosis is diagnosed.
- Transcript for Podcast #4
- Blastomyces yeast stained with calcofluor white under flourescent microscopy
- Silver stain of Blastomyces yeast under light microscopy
I Have a Weakened Immune System, am I at Risk for Blastomycosis?
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
I Have a Weakened Immune System
In this podcast, we discuss blastomycosis in persons who have weakened immune systems, which is also known as immunocompromise. This includes patients who have received solid organ transplants, are on chemotherapy to treat cancer, are being treated immunosuppressive medications or on high-dose steroids to treat autoimmune diseases.
Caveat: this episode was recorded during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. To follow social distancing guidelines, this recording was done in different locations which has resulted in slight discrepancies in voicing.
Blastomycosis is no Blast!
Monday, June 8, 2020
In this episode of Think Blasto! we learn a bit more about where blastomycosis occurs and about its symptoms. Caveat: this episode was recorded during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. To follow social distancing guidelines, this recording was done in different locations which has resulted in slight discrepancies in voicing.
Can a Fungus Really Cause Pneumonia?
Monday, March 2, 2020
Can a Fungus Really Cause Pneumonia?
In this episode of Think Blasto! we will focus on what blastomycosis is, what looks like, where it lives, how it is acquired, and who is at risk for infection.
Hosts
Greg Gauthier, MD, MS
Dr. Gauthier is a board-certified infectious diseases specialist in the Department of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. His clinical interests include invasive fungal infections, vector-borne diseases, global health, and medical education. He has nearly two decades of experience in basic science and clinical research on blastomycosis.
Joseph McBride, MA, MD, DTMH
Dr. McBride is a board-certified infectious diseases specialist in the Department of Medicine and Department of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Participants
Think Blasto! is a collaborative effort among physicians, veterinarians, and scientists at:
- University of Wisconsin–Madison
- School of Medicine and Public Health and its Native American Center for Health Professions
- School of Veterinary Medicine
- Medical College of Wisconsin
- Marshfield Clinic
- Wisconsin Department of Health Services
- Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene
- Oneida Community Health Center
This podcast is the initial effort of the WiBlast Consortium, which brings together health and laboratory professionals in Wisconsin with expertise on blastomycosis.
We thank our collaborators and their respective institutions listed above.
Funding Acknowledgement
We thank the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Public Health, for funding this project via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity CoAg: Mycotics – Detecting and Preventing Fungal Infections project.