"Hamadeh and associates. Chest, Vol. 94/2, pp.432-433, 1988. "Invasive aspergillosis has become a significant cause of death in immunosuppressed patients". Physicians should be aware of this potentially lethal complication of marijuana use in compromised hosts such as patients with AIDS or malignancies.)"
"Transplantation, Vol. 61, June 27, 1996. (Marijuana smoke transmits aspergillosis, a fungus having up to a 90% fatality rate if contracted by transplant patients. Researchers have strongly warned against the use of marijuana in immuno-compromised patients such as those with AIDS, chronic granulomatous disease, bone marrow transplants and those receiving chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer.)"
"Caiffa WT, Vlahov D, Graham NM, Astemborski J, Solomon L, Nelson KE, and Munoz A. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 150:1493-1498, 1994. (Marijuana smoking increases the incidence of bacterial pneumoniae in AIDS patients. HIV positive smokers progress to full-blown AIDS twice as fast as non-smokers.)"
If you are laying awake at night terrified of contracting Aspergillosis, its probably best to avoid hospitals.
Nosocomial aspergillosis
Nosocomial infection is defined as the acquisition of clinical infection as a result of medical intervention, and is usually applied to infections acquired in hospital.
Due to almost constant need for updating and expanding of medical services, renovation and construction are common occurrences in health care facilities. Fungal spores are released during repair, maintenance and construction. The spores are small and stay airborne for considerable periods of time. They may also spread long distances. Exposure to fungal spores constitutes a very serious threat to immunocompromised patients. Water and moisture damage also occur often in hospitals. This may create fungal reservoirs that may lead to adverse health effects even among personnel.
Many of the environmental hazards contributing to invasive aspergillosis have been identified, including unfiltered air, defects in hospital ventilation systems, food items, and possibly hospital water supplies. Stringent environmental controls in transplant units have included high-efficiency air filtration, positive-pressure ventialtion and frequent room air changes. Although there have been several well-documented examples of aspergillosis outbreaks as a result of hospital demolition and reconstruction, it has not always been possible to demonstrate elevated spore counts in clinical areas during building work. Furthermore, the possibility of community-acquired aspergillosis must be considered. These risks can usually be effectively minimized. However, very few studies have linked environmental exposure to cases of invasive aspergillosis.
The exposure pathways regarding nosocomial yeast infections include carriage on healthcare workers hands, contaminated surfaces and medical devices. The environment also may become contaminated with yeasts, but the relative importance of this reservoir is unknown.
Finally, it must be stressed that nursing and medical staff should be educated in the special risks faced by the immunocompromised patient from the normal environment.
The most important nosocomial infection due to Aspergillus spp. is pneumonia.
Why am I not surprised?