Aspergillus fumigatus

[LissacFrance]

Both my wide and self have recently had Covid. symptoms seem to be dragging on and wife`s doctor told her to get a sputum test done. Finally after 2 weeks the results have arrived and she has

Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungal infection in her lungs.

Does anyone, with bronchiectais have any experience of this? Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks, Chris.

[peege]

You could try the search bar, just put in aspergillus or aspergillosis. Problems arise if a person has an allergy to aspergillus when in UK it's called ABPA & treated with antifungals. Several members have it

I used to work with horses years ago, all hay had to be soaked thoroughly before feeding them to wash out the mould spores.

Check out NHS website for more info & have a look at bellow link. All the best to your wife LF

[ Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a common fungal infection in uncontrolled asthmatics, cystic fibrosis patients, and immunocompromised patients. Early diagnosis and rapid implementation of proper management are critical to prevent complications and/or disease progression.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov › N...

Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis - StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf ]

PS I'd get your wife to ask for allergy testing for it. I was tested for it because it often showed in sputum (luckily only a mild reaction to it), since I read up about back then it I've avoided farms, compost, autumn leaves etc where the aspergillus can lurk. P

[LissacFrance in reply to peege]

Interesting. We have recently spent more time looking after our horses and we had a lot of very dusty hay. My wife kept her distance while i did my best to shake the hay before giving it to the horses. We`ve had horse for 35+ years so do know what we are doing, but dusty hay has become more of a problem lately. We`ll wait and see what blood tests show along with CT scan. Our GP is certainly on the ball. Have a good weekend, Chris.

[Mrbojangles]

I had double lung transplant 15 months ago and recently discovered aspergillus on some skin swabs on my chest mainly along the scar.

Reported it as one should but the team don’t seem that concerned which is encouraging.

Good luck!

[LissacFrance in reply to Mrbojangles]

I suppose that if it is on the outside no too much to worry about. it is a fungus that is always around us, in the air, soil andelsewhere. It does appear however that people with bronchiectasis are more prone to this infection. Thanks for your input, Chris.

[Izb1 in reply to Mrbojangles]

Lovely to see you on site Mr B and hope you are doing well x

[Alberta56]

I hope you both will soon be better. xxx

[Biker88]

the issue is if the Aspergillus has turned into aspergillosis, Aspergillus fungi spores are airborne and everywhere so it is very common to find them in the respiratory system and on the skin. For info there is the excellent website Aspergillosis.org which is managed by the UK NHS aspergillosis experts in Manchester. Aspergillosis normally develops in people with compromised immune system, the allergic version ABPA allergic bronco pulmonary aspergillosis or the infection version CPA chronic pulmonary aspergillosis also called semi invasive. Don’t confuse semi invasive with invasive aspergillosis which is a different thing. Treatment is by anti fungal meds and steroids ABPA and anti fungals or in some cases surgery CPA. Beware of Dr Google and anyone trying to sell you a cure or telling you that a change in diet will fix it. There are two very useful Facebook groups, National Aspergillosis Support and Aspergillosis Trust Support, the first one is managed by UK NHS at Manchester the second is patient managed and reviewed by consultants at the Royal Brompton Hospital London. If your are working with soil, compost, rotting vegetation and hay a good quality face mask (not Covid) will offer good protection from inhaling more spores. The mask should be accredited to UK/EU FFP3 standard and stick with a recognised manufacturer like 3M as since Covid there are a lot of companies claiming that their Covid masks meet FFP standards, but they have not been formally tested.

[LissacFrance in reply to Biker88]

Thanks for the info. Our GP is on the ball and already sent prescriptions to my wife for blood test, CT scan and nebulizer medication. We`ll see what the results tell us. My wife has also sent off the sputum test results to her consultant in Toulouse. In the meantime we`ll try to stay away from dusty hay in case this is the problem. Have a good day, Chris.

[Izb1]

Great that you have a good gp Chris. It's strange to think that hay could be connected to this but makes sense, we really don't know what is around us sometimes and best to be cautious. Hope you both recover from covid soon and manage to get rid of this fungus x

[LissacFrance in reply to Izb1]

Thank you. Only drawback is wife`s consultant being just over 100 miles away. A road we know only too well. Enjoy your Sunday afternoon, Chris.

[Izb1 in reply to LissacFrance]

Blinking heck that's a long drive, hopefully you don't have to do it too often x

[LissacFrance in reply to Izb1]

We used to live an extra 20 miles away which added 3/4 hour to the journey. At least in Toulouse you have all the specialists at various hospital, all under the same umbrella and with brilliant communication between the different departments.

[Izb1 in reply to LissacFrance]

I think France has a brilliant health system and wish we could have the same here, it's just the distance you have to travel. Good luck with everything x

[Patk1]

Hope u both get well soon x

[Nula2]

Hi, not sure if it's the same strain or not but I have Bronchiectasis and have recuring Aspergillosis. There is still some on my lungs but Bronch specialist keeps an eye on it and if it grows any larger he treats it with medication. xxx

[LissacFrance in reply to Nula2]

Our GP has prescribed something for use with nebuliser until results of blood test and CT scan are known. Blood test in the morning so shoule have results late afternoon, no appointment yet for scan. GP and consultant are in regular contact and always exchange notes. The system does work well. Off for game of table tennis. Moving arms around does loosen the muck.

[joycet]

I have just been tested for this , i will get my results on 28th July, i had mould in my flat and it has just been remedied, i have been finding it very difficult to get a breath, and cannot even do everyday things at home because of the breathlessness. i know from my consultant that the treatment is not straightforward, and i have been told i will have to attend Royal Brompton Hospital in London every 2 weeks .

[peege in reply to joycet]

Good luck joycet 🤞

[poppyshola]

I have Bronchiectasis, Asthma and rhinitis besides other non connected ailments that I take meds for I've had recognised lung issues ever since I was 9/10 years of age (60 plus years) when one of my lungs collapsed..

I've had infections more on than off for 60 plus years

For the past 5 or so years I've had Pseudomonas A and Staph, which were mostly treated with IV as my tummy has a reaction with most antibiotics

Right now I have Aspergillus Fumigatas ... and am being treated with Posaconazole anti fungal 100mls which seemed to be helping a lot .. but it's a trial and a few on my other meds have had to be changed, so we will see..

I hope you find your solution soon

[LissacFrance in reply to poppyshola]

Thanks for the info. My wife had blood test this morning, but results will take about a week as usual lab does not do this particular test. Called at the hospital to book a scan, due to holidays will be early August. So, we will have to wait. Have a good day, Chris.