From Syphilis to Surprise: Unmasking Disseminated Blastomycosis in a 20-Year-Old Male

Blastomycosis is a systemic endemic fungal infection caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis, a dimorphic fungus, that predominantly affects the lungs but can disseminate to other organs, mimicking many diseases, making diagnosis challenging. We present a case of disseminated blastomycosis in a male, initially misdiagnosed as syphilis due to a false positive biopsy result for Treponema pallidum. This case highlights the importance of considering atypical presentations of fungal infections, even in the presence of laboratory findings and outside of the normal geographic regions they may be found.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Brown Hospital Medicine
Published
2025-04-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.56305/001c.132257
Primary Topic
Fungal Infections and Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

From Syphilis to Surprise: Unmasking Disseminated Blastomycosis in a 20-Year-Old Male

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Journal of Brown Hospital Medicine
Fungal Infections and Studies
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From Syphilis to Surprise: Unmasking Disseminated Blastomycosis in a 20-Year-Old Male

John Wahlgren, Michael Stewart, Aaron Kahn, Rakin Solaiman, Hanna Meek, Cody Howdeshell
article en

Abstract

Blastomycosis is a systemic endemic fungal infection caused by Blastomyces dermatitidis, a dimorphic fungus, that predominantly affects the lungs but can disseminate to other organs, mimicking many diseases, making diagnosis challenging. We present a case of disseminated blastomycosis in a male, initially misdiagnosed as syphilis due to a false positive biopsy result for Treponema pallidum. This case highlights the importance of considering atypical presentations of fungal infections, even in the presence of laboratory findings and outside of the normal geographic regions they may be found.

Journal of Brown Hospital MedicineVol. 4(2)
Openalex Percentile: Top 90%
Fungal Infections and Studies
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