A Minnesota man contracts a rare fungal infection that killed his dog last year

A Minnesota man whose dog was killed by a rare fungus last year fights the same disease as his dog. According to Scott Duluth News Tribune, Scott Donahue of Park Rapids has been diagnosed with blastomycosis. He was ventilated three times, underwent a tracheostomy and a feeding tube during a three month hospital stay.

"They told my children that the second time I was on a respirator, they would have to reunite my family because I probably would not do it," Donahue, a type 2 diabetic, told the media. "It's really serious and I'm lucky to be here."

Donahue, who has been battling this rare fungus since March, said the fact that he has contracted the fungus remains a mystery, as it is usually found in moist soil, rotting wood and leaves. He said that he did not work with the ground and that he did not go to his dock because of the snow. But their dog, who was diagnosed with the fungal infection in 2018, had gone through the woods and had fallen into the water before starting with a dry cough that evolved into vomiting and seizures, according to the newspaper.

The symptoms of blastomycosis usually appear between three weeks and three months after a person's inspiration in fungal spores, but not all exposed people get sick. Those who become ill may have fever, cough, night sweats, muscle aches, weight loss, chest pain and fatigue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For Donahue, her medical problems also began with a severe cough that eventually turned into vomiting. After five days of antibiotics that did not help relieve what the doctors thought was pneumonia, one of his sons called an ambulance.

At Essential Health in Fargo, ND, a specialist diagnosed him with blastomycosis.

"I was literally in the same position in my hospital bed for almost three months," he told Duluth News Tribune. "I still have back pain. I lost 40 pounds. I had the habit of weighing 175 and having arm muscles pretty good size. I'm using a walker and a cane, looks like a twig and has almost no muscle tone. I had 50 years in the hospital.

He was finally released from the hospital in July and his twins returned home to take care of him, according to the media. In addition to physical therapy, he received an antifungal to take for the next year.

The CDC considers that fungal infection is uncommon, with Wisconsin generally representing the highest incidence rate. There is no vaccine to prevent infection and, according to the CDC, it may not be possible to avoid exposure to the fungus. People with weakened immune systems may consider avoiding activities that cause soil disturbance in areas where the fungus may live.