An 18-year-old New York dirt bike racer, who recently raced for the first time in races along the Mississippi and also in the desert southwest, presents in September with cough, malaise, low-grade fever, myalgias, and chest pain. Rales are heard and respiratory infiltrates are noted on radiograph. Sputum stained with calcofluor white and viewed with an ultraviolet microscope shows hundreds of tiny yeast cells inside white cells. If cultured at room temperature, hyphae with small microconidia and tuberculate macroconidia would grow. What is the most likely causative agent?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This condition was probably picked up in the Midwest, most likely along the Mississippi. (They may have stirred up dried bird excreta dust from starlings, chickens, or bats that contained Histoplasma capsulatum.) It can only be Histoplasma capsulatum from the description.

An 18-Year-Old New York Dirt Bike Racer, Who Recently Raced