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In an unusual case from New York, two men who were planning to use bat poop as fertilizer to grow cannabis plants at their home have died after contracting a rare fungal lung infection from it. Both men, based in Rochester, developed a condition called histoplasmosis after breathing in spores of a harmful fungus from bat poop, also known as guano, according to a report of their cases, published in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases, earlier this month.
One of the men, aged 59, had purchased bat guano online as a fertilizer, while the other, 64, planned to use guano he had found in a bat-infested attic in his home. They both suffered from symptoms including fever, chronic cough, significant weight loss, blood poisoning, and eventually, respiratory failure.
Even after medical intervention that included antifungal treatments, both succumbed to their infections, highlighting the dangers of using bat guano without precautions.
"Initially described as endemic to the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys, the infection now regularly occurs in central and eastern United States, with cases reported across the entire country," the report stated, adding that each year, around one to two per 100,000 people in the US are infected with histoplasmosis.
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M
ore awareness required
With cannabis cultivation gaining popularity in light of recent legalisation measures, the usage of bat guano as a "natural superfood" that helps plant growth has been advocated in several online forums. Consequently, people who are unaware of the dangers of handling bat poop are also drawn in and use it to increase their 'Mary Jane' yield. The study urged government agencies to ramp up awareness campaigns so that such deaths can be avoided.
"It is crucial to raise awareness among physicians and patients to reinforce personal preventive measures and establish timely diagnosis. Commercial biofertilizers containing bat guano should be tested for Histoplasma capsulatum before reaching the market. If testing is not feasible, risk mitigation strategies should be implemented," it highlighted.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC also recommends against activities that might expose individuals to such fungi, like cave exploration or cleaning spaces with large amounts of bird or bat droppings, suggesting professional removal services for substantial accumulations.