Pigeon infection: what is the dangerousness of an infection due to pigeon droppings?

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde confirmed the death of two patients after contracting a fungal infection found in pigeon droppings. The infection is transmitted by air, that is to say that it has been contracted by patients who inspired it. At present, some patients are receiving drugs to prevent other infections, and the authorities have quickly promised to badure the public that they are not at risk. In a statement, NHS GGC said: "The body is harmless to the vast majority of people and rarely causes a disease in humans."

What is the danger of infection with pigeon droppings?

The disease in question is caused by a strain of the Cryptococcus fungus, which is commonly found in bird and bat droppings.

Commonly called Cryptococcus neoformans, the fungus can survive in any environment of the world, but generally prefers darker and more moisture-rich areas.

According to the US-based Center for Disease Control, Cryptococcus is transmitted by bats, but in the UK, it is mostly transmitted by birds such as pigeons.

Cryptococcus neoformans is able to infect humans by releasing microscopic particles that are then breathed.

Often people who breathe the fungus are not infected by it.

In the case where a person gets an infection, it is called cryptococcosis and it usually infects the lungs, brain and spinal cord.

In general, this is rare in healthy people and those most at risk are those with weakened immune systems.

Hospitalized patients would have been particularly at risk because they would have had other conditions that could compromise their immune system.

When the fungus causes infection, the symptoms occur in different ways depending on the region of the infected body.

In the lungs, cryptococcosis causes symptoms that are very similar to pneumonia.

These included:

– Tousser

– Shortness of breath

– Chest pain

– Fever

When cryptococcosis enters the brain after infecting the lungs, the symptoms become more severe.

When Cryptococcus enters the brain, the disease is known as Cryptococcal Meningitis and its symptoms include:

– Headache

– Fever

– Neck pain

– Nausea and vomiting

– Sensitivity to light

– Confusion or change of behavior