Florida man who lost 50lbs in a year without Ozempic was horrified to learn a deadly organism was growing inside him

A man who lost 50lbs without trying was told his weight loss had been caused by a deadly fungus found in bat feces.

The unnamed Florida resident, 61, finally went to the hospital after suffering night sweats, extreme fatigue and fever for about 10 months. 

Tests showed he was infected with the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum. His levels were extraordinarily high - about 25 times the level able to be detected in a blood test. 

The fungus had infected his heart, led to inflammation throughout this body, made his spleen swell and caused two masses to grow on his adrenal glands.

The above scan shows damage done to an area of the man's heart called the mitral valve as indicated by arrows

The above shows areas in the US that are likely suitable for the fungus histoplasma to live

Doctors wrote in a case report that the man was lucky to be alive - he had diabetes, high blood pressure and an irregular heartbeat.

Severe infection with the fungus is 100 percent fatal if left untreated in immunocompromised people - Covid is only deadly less in than 0.1 percent of cases. 

The Florida patient worked as a building supervisor and owned a 16-acre farm where he raised calves.

Doctors were baffled as to how he got infected - the fungus is not commonly diagnosed in Florida and is most prevalent in the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys. 

The CDC suggests these areas are a more 'suitable' location for H. capsulatum growth because of their soil acidity, distance from water and land coverage. 

H. capsulatum is a fungus found in bird and bat feces that causes flu-like illness when people inhale its spores. But the man told doctors he had not had contact with those animals and had not traveled outside of Florida recently.

However, H. capsulatum can also contaminate soil and live in the ground for years. 

The case report said: 'The fungus requires an environment that will support its growth, which commonly includes areas with large amounts of bird or bat excrement, or typically under chicken coops.'

The above shows estimated areas in the US with histoplasmosis

The above is an image from a body scan of the Florida patient showing two masses on his adrenal glands as indicated by the arrows

The man had to undergo heart surgeries to repair the damaged areas of the organ and was prescribed intravenous medication for two weeks. 

Following his operations, however, he suffered complications and was admitted to the intensive care unit for six days.

He experienced anemia due to blood loss and deteriorating kidney function because of cellular damage to the organs. 

Once recovered, the man was sent home on 'long-term' antifungal treatment. 

On follow up visits, he had stopped experiencing symptoms and had decreasing levels of histoplasma in his blood. 

Cases of histoplasmosis are not reportable events in some states so the exact incidence of infection is not known. 

However, in states that do report the fungus, the rate of infection is generally one to two cases per 100,000 people.

Following the report of his illness, the Department of Health requested to take samples of the soil from the man's farm 'as this remained the leading culprit of exposure.' 

Results were still pending at the time of the case report's publication last month.