Soil-related Infections
OVERVIEW
Questions regarding soil exposure should be included in the history of any patient with syndromes consistent with:
- tetanus
- botulism
- anthrax
- traumatic wounds
- recalcitrant skin lesions
- gastroenteritis
- non-responsive, overwhelming, or chronic pneumonia
Also ask about:
- travel history
- comorbidities
- immune suppression
TRANSMISSION
Soil exposure by:
- direct contact
- ingestion (geophagia or indirectly via contaminated foods)
- inoculation
- dust or aerosol inhalation
BACTERIA
- Bacillus anthracis (Anthrax)
- Bacillus cereus (Gastroenteritis)
- Burkholderia pseudomallei (Melioidosis)
- Campylobacter spp (Gastroenteritis)
- Clostridium botulinum (Botulism)
- Clostridium perfringens (Gas gangrene)
- Clostridium tetani (Tetanus)
- Escherischia coli (Gastroenteritis) – can live in the protozoan Acanthamoebae
- Legionella longbeachae (Atypical pneumonia)
- Legionella pneumophila (Atypical pneumonia)
- Listeria monocytogenes (Gastroenteritis, menigitis and flu-like illness)
- Mycobacterium leprae (postulated)
- Nocardia spp (Nocardiosis)
- Salmonella spp (Gastroenteritis)
FUNGI
- Aspergillus (Aspergillosis)
- Coccidioides (Coccidioidomycosis)
- Blastomyces dermatitdis (Blastomycosis)
- Histoplasma capsulatum (Histoplasmosis)
- Mucor (Mycetoma or Madura foot)
- Paracoccidioides (Paracoccidioidomycosis)
- Penicillium marneffei (Systemic mycosis)
- Rhizopus (Mucormycosis)
- Sporothrix schenckii (Sporotrichosis)
References and Links
- Baumgardner DJ. Soil-related bacterial and fungal infections. J Am Board Fam Med. 2012 Sep-Oct;25(5):734-44. PMID: 22956709.
Critical Care
Compendium
Chris is an Intensivist and ECMO specialist at The Alfred ICU, where he is Deputy Director (Education). He is a Clinical Adjunct Associate Professor at Monash University, the Lead for the Clinician Educator Incubator programme, and a CICM First Part Examiner.
He is an internationally recognised Clinician Educator with a passion for helping clinicians learn and for improving the clinical performance of individuals and collectives. He was one of the founders of the FOAM movement (Free Open-Access Medical education) has been recognised for his contributions to education with awards from ANZICS, ANZAHPE, and ACEM.
His one great achievement is being the father of three amazing children.
On Bluesky, he is @precordialthump.bsky.social and on the site that Elon has screwed up, he is @precordialthump.
| INTENSIVE | RAGE | Resuscitology | SMACC