Classification: ICD-9 117.3; ICD-10 B48.4
Synonyms: None.
Agent: Penicillium marneffei, a dimorphic fungus. It is the only Penicillium species that is dimorphic: at body temperature or 37 °C it is a yeast form and at cooler temperature it grows as a mold.
Reservoir: Unclear. Bamboo rats (Rhizomys sinensis, R. pruinosus, R. sumatrensis, and Cannomys badius) are natural hosts and the fungus is detected in the soil of their burrows. P. marneffei can survive in sterile soil for several weeks and only a few days in non-sterile soil. P. marneffei has not been recovered from environments not associated with bamboo rats. Bamboo rats (except C. badius) eat principally bamboo.
Transmission: Unclear, but likely through inhalation of P. marneffei conidia from the environment; cutaneous inoculation may also occur. There is no human-to-human transmission.
Cycle: Unknown. It has been proposed that bamboo rats may amplify infectious dispersal stages for human infections.
Incubation period: Few weeks to months.
Clinical findings
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