The World’s Authority on Fusaria was from Oakland?

Ever since I was diagnosed with fusarium infection, my quest to learn and better understand this fungus continues to lead me to endless crazy information about this mold. Disturbing information.

Fusarium is a contaminant that can be devastating if mishandled or mismanaged. I am astounded by the amount of bad this fungus can create, and I am more astounded by the fact that the general public know very little about its potential threat to our health. We hear a lot about aspiragillus, the black mold, which I do believe is a bit of hype. Black mold exists everywhere and is somewhat tame when compared to fusaria. You can kill black mold very easily. Fusaria is another story. It is an intelligent fungus. (I will follow-up with my findings regarding this.)

I don’t know if the ’so-called moth spraying’ during the past month worked, but during this time, I’ve witnessed a drastic change in the trees around me. They have ‘calmed’ in their behavior. By this, I mean I can no longer easily see the fusarium in the trees or the odd patterns in the branches and leaf. A month ago, I was able to detect consistent irregularities with all my plants and trees, including the grass. Let’s not forget the odd behavior that I experienced with my own skin and hair, as well as the dogs’ hair.

Below is an excerpt from a UC Berkeley memoriam post for Dr. William Snyder, who was the world’s authority on fusaria. He happened to have lived and died in Oakland. What do you know?

William Cowperthwaite Snyder, Plant Pathology: Berkeley
1904-1980

In becoming the world authority on the chaotic and difficult Fusaria, he brought order and manageability to this extremely important group of fungi, many of which causes diseases of crops ranging from corn to cacao. With his lifelong friend and associate, H. N. Hansen, he pioneered techniques to analyze cultural variation in fungi and to apply the analyses to species concepts. These studies led to work on the mechanisms of variation in Fusarium and to landmark papers on sexuality and genetics.

While these laboratory studies were in progress, Bill was also working with growers on problems of disease control in the field. This concern for practical application of plant pathology led to studies on why some crop sequences resulted in more disease and some in less. These studies led to further landmark papers on the role of resting structures in survival and infection by Fusarium species and on the effects of root exudates and soil nutrients on these processes. Thus, he helped lay the groundwork for development of biological control strategies.

UV-C Air Sanitizer

During my two-year of illness, it wasn’t until six months ago that I discovered I had a fungal infection and not a mites infection (similar symptoms, similar source – the dogs). As soon as I discovered this, I also discovered means to try to stay healthy. This means lots of air filters with spore filtration systems, which means filtering at the microdust level. I discovered that UV-C products work the best. I had thought these were gimmicks, but they’re not. They work very well.

My first recommendation is the personal air sanitizer. It works well, especially if you tend to be a picker. Place this near your mirror or in the bathroom, and it should filter most of the bad germs you release into the air. Or at least it will clean the air around the area you expose yourself to bad germs. The price can vary from $129-$199. This unit is the best price I found in the market and it ships directly from Amazon. (Click on product to go to site.)

I travel with this, as it is somewhat easy to transport. It’s a little big, but there isn’t any sensitive bulbs exposed or complicated plugs. The unit is tubular in shape, so it fits easily in a duffle bag. Besides its functionality, it’s also a good-looking product, which sadly, is important to me. I highly recommend this. I would own ten if I were able to afford that many.

UV-C Air Sanitizer, $129

What’s with my Fusarium Obsession?

After two years of a skin infection that was misdiagnosed and unidentifiable, I finally receiveda positive culture that lead to “fusarium.” Fusarium, unidentifiable type. Not only was it the second culture that resulted in a fungal infection, but my dogs had cultures results in sytemic fungus infection as well – unidentifiable. What was odd was the systemic result, which was almost impossible as the culture was taken from their skin and hair. I was there for the culture. I helped direct what to scrape for the culture. I suspected we were acutally producing some type of fungus, and the results supported my theory.

Whether I am right or not, it seems irrelevant at this point. In researching more about fusarium, I am appalled by the secret evils of fusarium. It is truly an unknown evil, this mold called fusarium. From hormonal development disruptions to biological agent… Fusarium continues to creep up as the number one agent causing many illnesses related and unrelated to my background. It even stems back to the Vietnam War, and I am Vietnamese. Was I a victim of Agent Green? Is this skin disease an old illness that was triggered when introduced to a highly volatile environment, such as Oakland? Is it a coincidence that the World’s authority on fusarium studies lived and died in Oakland?

I don’t know. But it does seem curious, doesn’t it? That somehow this one word “fusarium” links to all sorts of bad things, and things that relate to me in particular… skin infection, Viketnam, Oakland…

Fusarium Toxin disrupts hormonal development of girls…

Environmental Toxins Linked To Early Onset Puberty In Girls, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily (Feb. 7, 2008) — Although scientists have speculated over the negative effects of environmental toxins for years, new data suggest that certain environmental toxins may disrupt the normal growth and hormonal development of girls. Some of these toxins, such as the mycoestrogen zearalenone (ZEA) produced by the Fusarium fungus species, can be found naturally in the environment, have properties similar to the female reproductive hormone estrogen, and are also structurally similar to anabolic growth agents used in animal breeding.

Full article at ScienceDaily.com

Fusarium as Coca-Killing Strain Originated from U.S. CIA

Why am I not surprised? AND surprised at the same time? I wonder when they’ll figure out how to destroy using rose petals. Oh wait! Roses are susceptible to fungal infections, so in theory, it can infect other plants (like crop), animals and people. Shoot. Any ideas, folks?

from Transnational Institute

….The main organism that has captured media attention and promoted by the United States is a coca-killing strain of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum. The idea to use this organism came originally from the US Central Intelligence Agency, which passed off research and development to the US Department of Agriculture.

Agent Green

from Wikipedia

Agent Green is the code name for a powerful herbicide and defoliant used by the U.S. military in its Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War. The name comes from the green stripe painted on the barrels to identify the contents. It was one of the so-called “rainbow herbicides” that included the more infamous Agent Orange. Agent Green was only used between 1962 and 1964, during the early “testing” stages of the spraying program.

Agent Green’s only active ingredient was 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), one of the common phenoxy herbicides of the era. It was later learned that a dioxin, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD), is produced as a side effect of the manufacture of 2,4,5-T, and was thus present in any of the herbicides that used it. Due to Agent Green consisting entirely of 2,4,5-T, along with the similar Agent Pink, it contained many times the level of dioxin found in Agent Orange.

The fungus Fusarium oxysporum is also referred to as Agent Green.

Fusarium + Yellow Rain

Excerpt from Defense Against the Poor Man’s Nuclear Bomb: A 3-Part exloration of the modern biological threat, by Christopher T. Carey

Fungi. Fungi are much larger than bacteria, with complicated cellular structures and life cycles. They were among the first biologicals to be described in scientific literature. As unicellular micro organisms that almost without exception takes on a spore form, fungi may be cultivated similarly to bacteria but frequently form multicellular, thread-like structures. The most likely use of fungi as a form of biological weapon is to create crop disease, rather than direct human disease.

Many fungi may produce extremely poisonous and resistant toxins. Grain and crops such as peanuts may be infected with fungi of the Fusarium family, which can create mycotoxins capable of inflicting severe illness when contaminated food products are ingested. Certain mycotoxins of the tricothecenes group (Fusarium fungi) have been linked to the so-called `Yellow Rain” instances of CBW agent use in Southeast Asia in the late 70s and early 80s, and in the Gulf War another mycotoxin known as aflatoxin was deliberately cultivated by Iraq and loaded into aerial bombs and Al Abbas missile warheads. Investigation of a possible link between aflatoxin contamination and Gulf War Syndrome continues, and low-level aflatoxin exposure is purported to be capable of causing long term health effects involving CA of the liver.

Methods of transmittal. Most commonly, infection by BW agents is accomplished via respiratory contact, digestion of contaminated foodstuffs, or by transmission through host vectors such as insects (fleas, mosquitoes, etc.); this is due to the fact that human membranous surfaces in the respiratory tract and digestive systems allow rapid and ideal access to the blood circulation, through the chemical exchange process involving ingestion of nutrients and excretion of waste products. Biologicals may also be transmitted readily through urinary tract contamination, the reproductive organs, or the membranes of the eye. Foodstuffs and water supplies are quite easily capable of being contaminated, and of course plant crops or domestic animals may also be used as transmission vectors.

full article

Fungus Genome Yielding Answers To Protect Grains, People And Animals

from ScienceDaily – October 5, 2007

…The mycotoxins caused by the fungus can affect people and livestock that ingest infected grain. Pigs, cattle, horses, poultry and people can develop vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, staggering, skin irritation and immunosuppression. The most severe cases can be fatal.

Some scientific evidence suggests that these toxins cause cancer. People in developing countries are at the greatest risk of eating grain contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins. Although not all types of Fusarium cause disease and produce toxins, those types that do infect other crops, including corn and hay.

Currently, fungicides aren’t effective because the fungus only attacks during the beginning of the plants’ flowering stage. It’s difficult to gauge the precise time to spray, and it’s expensive to try to protect the crops over a long period. The fungus can survive through the winter in crop remnants left in fields as natural mulch.

full article

Fusarium

from EDL – Environmental Diagnostic Laboratory

Fusarium species

A rapidly-growing fungus that produces a pale or bright colored colony within four days, when incubated at 25oC (77oF). It is found worldwide and is commonly isolated from plants, soil, caves, salt marshes, mangrove mud, insects, gerbils, bird feathers, water, wooden furniture, and wood pulp. Some isolates produce the mycotoxin trichothecene which can cause disease in humans and animals. Trichothecene targets the circulatory, alimentary, skin, and nervous systems. Some isolates produce the mycotoxin vomitoxin on grains which produce disease by either ingestion or inhalation of the contaminated grains. It can be an opportunistic human pathogen causing allergic disease, eye, skin, and nail infections.

Fusarium arthrosporioides

A rapidly-growing fungus that produces a pale or bright colored colony within four days, when incubated at 25oC (77oF). It is found worldwide and is commonly isolated from air, plants especially grasses and cereals, and soil. There have not been any reports of human infections.

Fusarium moniliforme

A rapidly-growing fungus that produces a pale flesh-color to vinaceous colored colony within four days, when incubated at 25oC (77oF). It is found worldwide and is commonly isolated from plants, soil, caves, salt marshes, insects, bird feathers, water, and wood pulp. It can be an opportunistic human pathogen

Fusarium oxysporum

A rapidly-growing fungus that produces a white or peach or violet to purple tinged colony within four days, when incubated at 25oC (77oF). It may produce a lilac odor. It is found worldwide and is commonly isolated from plants, soil, caves, salt marshes, mangrove mud, insects, bird feathers, water, wooden furniture, and wood pulp. It can be an opportunistic human pathogen.

Fusarium roseum (Fusarium culmorum)

A rapidly-growing fungus that produces a red to red-brown to purple colored colony within four days, when incubated at 25oC (77oF). It is found worldwide and is commonly isolated from plants, soil, caves, salt marshes, peat, fresh water and salt water. Rarely, it can be an opportunistic human pathogen.

Fusarium solani

A rapidly-growing fungus that produces a pale or bright colored colony within four days, when incubated at 25oC (77oF). It is found worldwide and is commonly isolated from plants, soil, caves, salt marshes, mangrove mud, insects, gerbils, bird feathers, water, wooden furniture, and wood pulp. It can produce the mycotoxin trichothecene which can cause disease in humans and animals. It can be an opportunistic human pathogen causing eye and wound infections.

KTVU’s Short Video on Morgellons Research 2008

OAKLAND: John Fowler Reports On Bay Area Researchers Heading CDC Study Of Morgellons Disease

Interesting Article about Oakland A’s Pitcher Billy Koch and Morgellons

From ktvu.com

Doctors Make Progress with Mysterious Disease

POSTED: 7:26 pm PDT May 23, 2006
UPDATED: 4:48 pm PDT May 24, 2006

A horrifying and fascinating disease is affecting thousands of people in the Bay Area, along the Gulf Coast and in Florida. Though some doctors have claimed the malady is psychosomatic, other scientists are making headway unraveling the mystery of Morgellons Disease.

Former Oakland A’s pitcher Billy Koch has it. And so do his wife and their three children. And though they can afford top medical care, doctors have no answers.

It started in Oakland four years ago. Koch saved 44 games and was the top reliever in the major leagues. His fastball wowed crowds. And then the strangeness began.

“He freaked out. He wanted to ignore it … I wanted to too. But when it comes to your kids, you gotta stop ignoring it,” said Koch’s wife Brandi.

She describes their symptoms: “It was the scariest thing I had ever realized in my entire life. There was matter and black specks coming out and off of my skin.”

Within two years — at age 29 — Billy Koch was out of baseball, partly because of the uncontrollable muscle twitching that went on for months at a time and often kept up him up all night.

The disease is characterized by slow healing skin lesions that often extrude small, dark filaments, especially after bathing.

more

Hair (No, not the musical.)

It started with the hairline.

Exactly two years ago, my hairline itched. Three dermatologists diagnosed the symptoms dandruff. This January, the hair loss became obvious. I think it had been changing for a long time, but because I had such big, long hair, I didn’t notice. Last year I had lost all the hair from my legs and arms. I never received an explanation to why (tested negative for diabetes, autoimmune deficiency, lupus).

Six weeks ago, I finally convinced my doctor to do a skin culture. I had been denied several times by other doctors. First lab results showed Fungus, not Candida Albicans. To double check that it was not a contaminated culture, a second culture was completed. Fusarium, unknown type.

January 7

February 28

March 10

March 19

March 25.
Hair is growing back, and not a few millimeters at a time. An inch or several inches return. Note around the edges. In five days? Not possible. Hair never left? Fusarium steals hair, I tell you.

March 30.
It looks almost normal. The long strands returned. I was happy.
This was on my 5th day on Intraconazale.

However… note the dotted view of the returned hair. It’s infected. That’s how it looks on camera. The camera will see what the naked eye cannot. Doctors will refuse to look at photos, but this fungus is strange. You can only see the fungus through lenses. (The same goes for infected plants, etc.)

See next post for update.

And so it begins again…

I am close to giving up. In less than24 hours, I have experienced hope, happiness, alarm, devastation, anger, sadness, hopelessness.

The insurance company switched my prescription to Lamisil, which is mainly for toe and nail fungus. Aside from intravin application, I did not find any reference to Lamisil (Terbinafine) as a treatment for systemic fusarium. I didn’t see this usage for skin infection either.

Intraconazole was referenced many times as the treatment. I felt it was working. I thought the prescription would go through, so I borrowed some from a friend. When I went to pick up my medicine, I was devastated after finding out they switched my prescription.

Lamisil is $350. Intraconazole is $515. For $200, they switched my medication. The fact that Intraconazole was the only medicine clinically tested for Fusarium infection didn’t matter, I guess. For $200, they are risking my life! This is so wrong, I don’t even know how to react. I have given up fighting. I’m too tired now to fight.

The photo below shows what happened to my hair after 2 days of Lamisil. When I was on Intraconazole, the hair loss stopped. I was so happy. The scars on my arms faded. You can barely tell I had any marks before. The scars didn’t return, but they stopped fading. They remain slightly visible.

I am very worried.

April 12, 2008

Fusarium Treatments [John Hopkins]

Excerpt from

THE JOHNS HOPKINS MICROBIOLOGY NEWSLETTER Vol. 26, No. 05
Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Organism:

Fusarium is a filamentous fungus widely distributed on plants, in the soil and in water. It is a transient component of aeroflora and is a common contaminant of commodities such as rice, bean and soybean. Currently, there are over 20 known species of Fusarium, with only some causing infections in humans. Notably, Fusarium is an emerging cause of opportunistic mycoses.

Treatment:

Fusarium is one of the most drug resistant fungi. In particular, Fusarium solani is the most drug resistant of all. Fusarium has high MICs for many antifungal agents (flucytosine, ketoconazole, miconazole, fluconazole, itraconazole and posaconazole) and is intrinsically resistant to the glucan synthesis inhibitors caspofungin, anidulafungin, and micafungin. Amphotericin B, voriconazole, and natamycin have low MICs. Voriconazole and posaconazole are effective choices for Fusarium. Amphotericin B, particularly lipid formulations, alone or with flucytosine or rifampin is commonly used for fusariosis. For localized Fusarium infections, antifungal therapy should be preceded by surgical debridement. For optimal therapy, fungal susceptibility should be determined and the antifungal agent should be administered at the highest tolerable doses. Unfortunately, Fusarium is difficult to treat and invasive forms are often fatal.

full article

Beyond Fusarium Keratitis

I created this image to see if my eye still showed the conidium after the pain went away and after good sleep. Nope, they’re still there. However, what’s more disturbing is the fact I can see conidium covering my entire face. I am wearing a second skin, and it is called Fusariosis.

General Information about Fusarium Keratitis

From the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Updated: May 10, 2006; Released: April 27, 2006

What is keratitis?

Keratitis is an inflammation of the cornea, the front part of the eye. Keratitis has many causes including bacteria, viruses and fungi. CDC is currently investigating reports of keratitis caused by Fusarium, a type of fungus.

While Fusarium keratitis can be a serious infection, it is a rare disease. Fusarium is commonly found in organic matter such as soil and plants. This infection cannot be transmitted from person to person. People who have trauma to the eye, certain eye diseases and problems with their immune system may be at increased risk for these types of infection.

more

More than Sad Eyes

Yesterday my eyes hurt. It felt like a splinter was inside that would not come out. I couldn’t get it to feel better. Flushed it with saline. Couldn’t sleep because it didn’t want to stay closed. The scratching feeling was worse close than open. Blinking hurt.

So I took a photo. Aaaahhh. The fungus made it to my eyes.

I had blurred vision. About 50% of normal maybe? Very foggy. Today it’s better, but I have less peripheral vision. I can see my eye lids when I roll my eyes. Not good.

Note the white matter starting at the corner of my eyes. It reached the cornea.

The negative image clearly shows the pod-like matter that I think is conidium.

Here is a google image from an article explaining what human fusarium infection is all about.

sad eyes

The dogs and I have the same disease. Unidentifiable systemic fungal infection. Two different culture results. Two types of medical professions. Yet they tell me I am delusional.

The dogs are uncomfortable. You can see it in their eyes. Eyes that are like mine. Eyes that are sad.

Why do people tell me animals do not have emotions? Look at this photo and tell me these are not eyes filled with emotion?

CDC + Kaiser launched investigation on Morgellons

On January 16, 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in conjunction with Kaiser Permanente’s Northern California Division of Research announced their efforts to investigate Morgellons. For both the audio and written version of the CDC/Kaiser Permanente media telebriefing.

From a CDC document:

Morgellons is an unexplained and debilitating condition that has emerged as a public health concern. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has received an increased number of inquiries from the public, health care providers, public health officials, Congress, and the media regarding this condition. Persons who suffer from this condition report a range of coetaneous symptoms including crawling, biting and stinging sensations; granules, threads or black speck-like materials on or beneath the skin; and/or skin lesions (e.g., rashes or sores) and some sufferers also report systemic manifestations such as fatigue, mental confusion, short term memory loss, joint pain, and changes in vision. Moreover, some who suffer from this condition appear to have substantial morbidity and social dysfunction, which can include decreased work productivity or job loss, total disability, familial estrangement, divorce, loss of child custody, home abandonment, and suicidal ideation.

As of February 2007, approximately 10,000 families had registered with the Morgellon’s Research Foundation (MRF) and felt they or a family member met criteria for Morgellons as defined by the MRF. Of the U.S. families in the MRF registry, 24% reside in California with geographic clustering in the San Francisco metropolitan area.

The etiology of this condition is unknown, and the medical community has insufficient information to determine whether persons who identify themselves as having this condition have a common cause for their symptoms or share common risk factors. An epidemiologic investigation is needed to better characterize the clinical and epidemiologic features of this condition; to generate hypotheses about factors that may cause or contribute to sufferers’ symptoms; and to estimate the prevalence of the condition in the population; and to provide information to guide public health recommendations. A contractor is needed who can provide timely services to assist the CDC in the investigation of this emerging public health problem. [CDCP document]

I am a mess

It is sundown and the attacks happen. I took a sedative, but it’s not calming me. My hands shake. My mind lost. My emotions broken.

I just sprayed the dogs. Brushed them and the bristles are covered with brown dust. Dust mites. I know it is the dust mites that are causing some of our health issues. Fungus. Spores? How to rid of it. Air filters help, but not enough. Dehumidifiers are coming. Need professional help, but the mind stops me from being efficient.

I’m worried.