From the Research
The false statement about African Histoplasmosis is A) Pulmonary disease is common. African Histoplasmosis, caused by Histoplasma duboisii, primarily manifests as a cutaneous and osseous disease rather than a pulmonary infection. Unlike the more common Histoplasma capsulatum infection, H. duboisii rarely causes significant lung involvement. The disease typically presents with:
- Skin abscesses and nodules
- Lytic bone lesions that can affect the skull, ribs, vertebrae, and long bones The infection is indeed acquired through inhalation of microconidia from soil contaminated with bird or bat droppings, but unlike classic histoplasmosis, the organism tends to disseminate to skin and bones rather than establishing significant pulmonary disease. H. duboisii is endemic to central and western Africa, particularly in countries like Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda, and produces larger yeast forms (8-15 μm) compared to H. capsulatum (2-4 μm), which helps in microscopic differentiation during diagnosis 1. The most recent and highest quality study, published in 2021, confirms that African Histoplasmosis is a severe fungal infection with a high mortality rate, and that itraconazole and amphotericin B are the best therapeutic alternatives 1. Therefore, pulmonary disease is not a common manifestation of African Histoplasmosis, and the correct answer is A) Pulmonary disease is common. Other options, such as B) Caused by Histoplasma duboisii, C) Skin abscess is common, D) Caused by inhalation of microconidia, and E) Affects bones causing lytic lesions, are all true statements about African Histoplasmosis 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.