KOLKATA: A 61-year-old Kolkata researcher who spent years specializing in mushrooms and the like was contaminated by a killer plant fungus, making it presumably the world’s first reported case of a plant fungus infecting a human.
The individual was handled at a metropolis hospital and has since recovered. Doctors mentioned he was a plant mycologist, who labored with decaying supplies, mushrooms and varied different plant fungi as a part of his career and analysis actions.

“The recurrent exposure to decaying materials may have caused this rare infection. This case report demonstrates the crossover of plant pathogen into humans when working in close contact with plant fungi,” says a report on the findings of this case compiled by a crew of medical doctors at Apollo Multispecialty Hospital (AMH), Kolkata.
The findings had been lately revealed within the Medical Mycology Case Reports Journal.
Doctors concerned mentioned chondrostereum purpureum — the fungus — is thought to trigger a situation known as “silver leaf disease” in vegetation. In this, the fungus infects vegetation by way of wounds, resulting in silvering of the leaves and later inflicting the demise of the department.
“The cross-kingdom pathogenicity demands much work to be done in order to explore insights of the mechanisms involved, thus leading to possible recommendations to control and contain these infections,” the medical doctors wrote of their report.
The researcher had come to Apollo’s OPD with complaints of cough, hoarseness in voice, recurrent pharyngitis, fatigue, anorexia and problem in swallowing. He had no historical past of diabetes, HIV, renal or every other persistent illness, nor was he on any immunosuppressive medication.
Investigations revealed the presence of paratracheal abscess. Tests confirmed a fungal an infection however typical methods couldn’t determine the fungus.
The medical doctors handled the affected person with surgical drainage of the abscess and oral antifungal remedy with common follow-ups.
The medical doctors wrote that a number of new pathogenic fungi have emerged over the a long time, spawned by world warming, alteration in ecosystems, unplanned urbanisation and different actions, opening a possible Pandora’s Box of latest fungal infections.