Histoplasma capsulatum is associated with which nickname for a disease?

Histoplasma capsulatum is associated with which nickname for a disease?

• A. Rose gardener's disease
• B. Spelunker's disease
• C. Valley fever
• D. Gertie's disease

Answer: (B)

Histoplasma capsulatum is a dimorphic fungus that causes histoplasmosis, classically linked to environments rich in bird or bat droppings. Inhaling the spores is especially likely for people who explore caves, so histoplasmosis earned the nickname “spelunker's disease.” The other nicknames refer to different fungal diseases: Rose gardener’s disease is sporotrichosis from Sporothrix schenckii, typically in gardeners handling decaying vegetation; Valley fever is coccidioidomycosis from Coccidioides species in arid regions; Gertie’s disease isn’t a standard nickname for histoplasmosis. So the cave-related nickname best fits Histoplasma capsulatum.

Histoplasma capsulatum is a dimorphic fungus that causes histoplasmosis, classically linked to environments rich in bird or bat droppings. Inhaling the spores is especially likely for people who explore caves, so histoplasmosis earned the nickname “spelunker's disease.” The other nicknames refer to different fungal diseases: Rose gardener’s disease is sporotrichosis from Sporothrix schenckii, typically in gardeners handling decaying vegetation; Valley fever is coccidioidomycosis from Coccidioides species in arid regions; Gertie’s disease isn’t a standard nickname for histoplasmosis. So the cave-related nickname best fits Histoplasma capsulatum.