Harmful Fungus in Sphagnum Moss?

From: "Don Burns"donburns at macconnect.com> on 2001.06.21 at 14:56:43(6780) In my few years of growing aroids I have periodically heard stories about a harmful (to humans) fungus that grows and reproduces itself in ground or otherwise virgin sphagnum. Has anyone else heard these stories or seen written information on the subject? Don Burns +More Plantation FL Zone 10b

From: "Ron Iles" roniles at eircom.net> on 2001.06.21 at 16:04:34(6797) Welcome back Don! Hurray! Rural Ireland is substantially peat bog but I don't know anything about its fungal pathogens but how about its spores? Bracken is nasty I'm told, ticks, Lime Disease. Cheers Ron +More ----- Original Message ----- To: "Multiple recipients of list AROID-L" Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2001 3:56 PM Subject: Harmful Fungus in Sphagnum Moss? | In my few years of growing aroids I have periodically heard stories about a harmful | (to humans) fungus that grows and reproduces itself in ground or otherwise virgin | sphagnum. Has anyone else heard these stories or seen written information on | the subject? | | Don Burns | Plantation FL Zone 10b |

From: Ron McHatton rmchatton at photocircuits.com> on 2001.06.21 at 19:36:27(6798) Don: When the use of sphagnum moss as a potting material for orchids caught on some 15 years or so ago, one of the first issues to surface was the purported presence of spores of a fungus which could be contracted by humans. The physical manifestation of infection is the formation of a round cyst like object deep within the skin which works its way slowly to the surface and breaks open releasing spores. These cyst like objects are typically about half the size of a pinhead or so although in some published cases they are quite large and apparently bothersome. There was an article illustrated with pictures published in the American Orchid Society Bulletin some years ago (if you would like a copy, I could probably locate it). That article demonstrates being able to culture the spores from virgin as well as used wet moss. This launched the scare that had a lot of people sterilizing their moss, working with impermeable gloves and surgical masks or for some people even respirators around the moss. What wasn't reported publicly (very well anyway) was subsequent work which demonstrated that the same fungus can be cultured from anything we use as potting material, even things like Fafard 3B and Promix. Infection in humans is possible (as far as I am aware, only through an already existing wound), but it is extremely rare and apparently not worth the effort worrying about and bottom line is that you can get the same infection from any material, fir bark, promix, sphagnum moss, coconut husk chips, etc. I have been growing orchids for something like 37 years, and I am more worried about the dust from dry perlite and the little slivers of bark than fungal problems. Ron McHatton +More -----Original Message----- From: Ron Iles [SMTP:roniles@eircom.net] Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2001 12:05 PM To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L Subject: Re: Harmful Fungus in Sphagnum Moss? Welcome back Don! Hurray! Rural Ireland is substantially peat bog but I don't know anything about its fungal pathogens but how about its spores? Bracken is nasty I'm told, ticks, Lime Disease. Cheers Ron ----- Original Message ----- To: "Multiple recipients of list AROID-L" Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2001 3:56 PM Subject: Harmful Fungus in Sphagnum Moss? | In my few years of growing aroids I have periodically heard stories about a harmful | (to humans) fungus that grows and reproduces itself in ground or otherwise virgin | sphagnum. Has anyone else heard these stories or seen written information on | the subject? | | Don Burns | Plantation FL Zone 10b |

From: "Cooper, Susan L." SLCooper at scj.com> on 2001.06.21 at 19:36:47(6799) I think you are talking about blastomycosis, my brother-in-law's father got it and was very ill. I don't have any links for it, but you can probably find info on the internet via a search engine. Susan Cooper +More Racine, WI Zone 5 -----Original Message----- Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2001 9:57 AM To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L Subject: Harmful Fungus in Sphagnum Moss? In my few years of growing aroids I have periodically heard stories about a harmful (to humans) fungus that grows and reproduces itself in ground or otherwise virgin sphagnum. Has anyone else heard these stories or seen written information on the subject? Don Burns Plantation FL Zone 10b

From: Douglas Ewing dewing at u.washington.edu> on 2001.06.21 at 19:37:00(6800) Search for info under the name "Sporotrichosis". The organism involved is the fungus Sporotrichum schenckii. Infection is through cuts and abrasions in the skin, small blisters can form. If not treated, can spread to other organs and become serious disease. My understanding is that it is easily controlled by anti-biotics , but is often not diagnosed, due to it's rarity. +More Doug ( but I'm no Dr. ) Ewing _________________/\/\/\______________________ Doug Ewing, Greenhouse Manager (206) 543-0436 Department of Botany University of Washington Box 355325 Seattle, WA 98195-5325 On Thu, 21 Jun 2001, Don Burns wrote: > In my few years of growing aroids I have periodically heard stories about a harmful > (to humans) fungus that grows and reproduces itself in ground or otherwise virgin > sphagnum. Has anyone else heard these stories or seen written information on > the subject? > > Don Burns > Plantation FL Zone 10b >

From: Aroideae at aol.com on 2001.06.21 at 20:11:10(6804) hi don, yes, there is definitely a fungus associated with sphagnum moss that can enter the body through wounds or cuts on the hands and under fingernails. it can also be inhaled and affect the respiratory system. orchid grower are very familiar with it. it has a name, but i can't remember it. you might search the american orchid society website and, since you're in miami, contact some department of tropical diseases down there. a friend of mine here in tampa was treated for it by the tropical diseases people at university of south florida. it's apparently a nasty one, this fungus. when i was growing orchids, i was repeatedly advised to wear gloves and a mask. hope this helps, lynn +More In my few years of growing aroids I have periodically heard stories about a harmful (to humans) fungus that grows and reproduces itself in ground or otherwise virgin sphagnum. Has anyone else heard these stories or seen written information on the subject? Don Burns

From: "Jay Vannini" interbnk at terra.com.gt> on 2001.06.21 at 20:11:23(6805) Dear Don: I believe Sporotrichosis is the beast yer wondering about. It is generally recommended that persons handling sphagnum shud wear rubber gloves, particularly if they have any nicks or open wounds on your hands or forearms. +More The CP FAQ at the Intnl. Carnivorous Plant Society (www.carnivorousplants.org) has more info on this. Good growing JPV -----Original Message----- To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L Date: Jueves, 21 de Junio de 2001 08:57 a.m. Subject: Harmful Fungus in Sphagnum Moss? >In my few years of growing aroids I have periodically heard stories about a harmful >(to humans) fungus that grows and reproduces itself in ground or otherwise virgin >sphagnum. Has anyone else heard these stories or seen written information on >the subject? > >Don Burns >Plantation FL Zone 10b

From: "Cooper, Susan L." SLCooper at scj.com> on 2001.06.22 at 03:16:59(6813) I have been growing orchids for something like 37 years, and I am more worried about the dust from dry perlite and the little slivers of bark than fungal problems. Ron McHatton +More Yes, the perlite dust has me worried. I couldn't believe how much dust my last bag of perlite had. And mixing up potting soil in the basement this spring probably wasn't the best thing either. Outdoors with good ventilation is probably safest. The man that was sick with blastomycosis used to own a sod farm and presently works at a garden center. He had grapefruit sized pus sacks (sorry to those of you with weak stomachs) and other strange things in his lungs (he is a non-smoker). He needed surgery, almost died, and will be on medication for about a year. I do think blastomycosis is rare, tho. Susan

From: "Bob Bob" metopium at hotmail.com> on 2001.06.22 at 03:17:12(6814) Hello from the home of Coccidioidomycocis! Sphagnum moss can cause Sporotrichosis from the Sporothrix fungi, but so can rotted wood. +More I've also heard the Aspergillus can also be cultured. So don't breathe or touch anything while in the woods, or with your orchids! So maybe there is a bright side to deforestation after all! Now leave me alone, I have to go back to crossing my titanum with sporothrix. Wait until you find that one in your next bag of semi-nonrenewable sphagnum moss from Wal-Mart! Gotta go! Think I just coughed up a lung. Nyles >From: Aroideae@aol.com >Reply-To: aroid-l@mobot.org >To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L >Subject: Re: Harmful Fungus in Sphagnum Moss? >Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 15:11:08 -0500 (CDT) > >hi don, > >yes, there is definitely a fungus associated with sphagnum moss that can >enter the body through wounds or cuts on the hands and under fingernails. >it >can also be inhaled and affect the respiratory system. orchid grower are >very familiar with it. it has a name, but i can't remember it. you might >search the american orchid society website and, since you're in miami, >contact some department of tropical diseases down there. a friend of mine >here in tampa was treated for it by the tropical diseases people at >university of south florida. it's apparently a nasty one, this fungus. >when >i was growing orchids, i was repeatedly advised to wear gloves and a mask. > >hope this helps, >lynn > > > > In my few years of growing aroids I have periodically heard stories >about a > > harmful > > (to humans) fungus that grows and reproduces itself in ground or >otherwise > > virgin > > sphagnum. Has anyone else heard these stories or seen written >information on > > the subject? > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

From: Krzysztof Kozminski kk at kozminski.com> on 2001.06.22 at 03:17:27(6815) On Thu, 21 Jun 2001, Jay Vannini wrote: > Dear Don: > > I believe Sporotrichosis is the beast yer wondering about. > > It is generally recommended that persons handling sphagnum shud wear rubber > gloves, particularly if they have any nicks or open wounds on your hands or > forearms. +More If you want to get yourself scared, see Sporotrichosis images at: http://tray.dermatology.uiowa.edu/DermImag.htm Number 4 is not to be viewing before or immediately after meals... KK ==================== "Microsoft is to software what McDonalds is to gourmet cooking" Krzysztof Kozminski kk@kozminski.com http://www.kozminski.com/

From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 2001.06.22 at 03:18:24(6819) Dear Don Glad you are back with 'us', buddy!! I saw this terrible-looking affliction on the hands and especially under/around the finger nails of an Orchid grower in S. Florida some years ago, he also grew insect-eating plants. His finger-nails were also affected, and the open and sort of healing-looking lesions on his fingers were NOT easy to look, at, he said it was from handling sphagnum, and was NOT easy to cure. Wish I could add more, but do not have any further information, I just know I DON`T want to 'catch' it! Cheers, Julius +More >>In my few years of growing aroids I have periodically heard stories about a harmful (to humans) fungus that grows and reproduces itself in ground or otherwise virgin sphagnum. Has anyone else heard these stories or seen written information on the subject? Don Burns Plantation FL Zone 10b

From: Regferns at aol.com on 2001.07.01 at 04:17:08(6921) Just gettingt o these e-mails. Yes Don, there is a fungus and it is "Sporotrichosis".? I contracted it back in the late 70's and I am still here to talk about it. At the time of the infection, because of it's rarity, my MD could not diagnose it. After two weeks of watching my poor thumb swell up and become misshapen (back to normal today though), the MD sent me to a dermatologist. He took a culture of it to put in a petri dish. The fungus filled the dish overnight. He then sent pictures of my thumb and info to the AMA. The diagnosis came back "Sporotrichosis." At the time, the only presumed cure was to ingest iodine drops (15 drops per day in any assortment of beverages, e.g., juices). After the first try, the dosage was insufficient. It was reworked, and the infection cleared up. Things returned to normal shortly afterwards. However, the infection did begin to creep up my arm, fortunately it was stopped at about wrist level. +More When using sphagnum, make sure that if it is wet, it is used immediately. The fungus entered my bloodstream through a cut near my thumbnail. I have had no recurrences, plus I am "somewhat" careful when using sphagnum today. Reggie Whitehead South Miami, FL

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