HISTOPLASMOSIS: Protecting Workers at Risk

DHHS (NIOSH) PUBLICATION
NO. 97-146 SEPTEMBER 1997

Table of Contents

What is histoplasmosis?

How is histoplasmosis diagnosed?

• Culturing of H. capsulatum
  
• Serologic tests
  
• Detection of H. capsulatum antigen
  
• Histoplasmin skin test

Who can get histoplasmosis and what jobs and activities put people at risk for exposure to H. capsulatum spores?

Should workers who might be exposed to H. capsulatum have pre-exposure skin or blood tests?

What can be done to reduce exposures to H. capsulatum?

• Excluding a colony of bats or a flock of birds from a building
  
• Posting health risk warnings
  
• Communicating health risks to workers
  
• Controlling aerosolized dust when removing bat or bird manure from a building
  
• Disinfecting contaminated material
  
• Disposing of waste
  
• Controlling aerosolized dust during construction, excavation, and demolition
  
• Wearing personal protective equipment

• Assigned protection factors
  
• Respirator selection
  
• Disposable and elastomeric, half-facepiece, air-purifying respirators
  
• Powered air-purifying respirators with hood, helmet, or loose-fitting facepiece and continuous-flow, supplied-air respirators with hood or helmet
  
• Air-purifying, full-facepiece respirators; powered air-purifying respirators with half-facepiece or full facepiece; and continuous-flow,supplied-air respirators with half-facepiece or full facepiece
  
• Pressure-demand, supplied-air respirators with full facepiece
  
• Pressure-demand, self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBA) and combination pressure-demand, supplied-air respirators with auxiliary SCBA
  
• Summary

What other infectious agents are health risks for workers who disturb accumulations of bat droppings or bird manure?

• Cryptococcus neoformans
  
• Chlamydia psittaci
  
• Rabies

References

Histoplasmosis Fact Sheet (English)

Histoplasmosis Fact Sheet (Spanish)

Return to the main Histoplasmosis document page

CDC Home page

NIOSH Home page