I don't want to be an alarmist, but I have been treated for a lung infection for the last year and think it may have come from working in my community garden. I am sending this as a cautionary tale...
The infection was a mycobacterial infection, though mine was a rare strain of mycobacterium -- M. interjectum. I was treated with a number of antibiotics (rifabutin, biaxin, cipro, levaquin), some of which have unpleasant side effects. The whole ordeal started last spring when I was digging in a pile of wood chips that the garden uses to cover pathways. The pile had been sitting for a few days and gotten rained on. There was obvious mold and fungus growing in some parts of the pile and when I stuck my shovel in a large dusty cloud rose up and I breathed in some of it. About a month later I coughed up blood which sent me to the doctor's office. Two CAT scans and two bronchoscopies later I had a diagnosis and took antibiotics for the next 6 months. It appears to be gone now, though something still appears on the CAT scan -- probably scarring. Mycobacteria can grow on decaying plant matter and can be found in soil. Some people are more susceptible than others to these infections -- especially immune compromised people. Mycobacterial infections are not all that uncommon, but are difficult to treat. 1-2 years of taking an antibiotic cocktail is pretty standard treatment. I just thought I should share this experience so people can be careful and avoid a potentially unpleasant ailment. ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden
