This is a new one on me, just goes to show how dangerous it is out there in
the garden!!

"A man has died after inhaling lethal spores which grew on rotting compost
in his garden.

The 47-year-old fell ill less than 24 hours after being engulfed by "clouds
of dust" while working with rotting tree and plant mulch.
At first medics thought the previously healthy welder had pneumonia when he
was admitted with severe breathing problems.

But when antibiotics failed to help, tests showed evidence of Aspergillosis,
a reaction to Aspergillus spores.

The fungus is commonly found growing on dead leaves, stored grain, compost
piles or decaying vegetation.

Its spores may trigger a relatively harmless allergic reaction or a much
more serious destructive infection that begins in the lungs and spreads to
other parts of the body.

The man's death - which followed kidney failure and treatment on a heart and
lung machine - was reported in The Lancet medical journal.

Doctors, led by Dr David Waghorn from Wycombe Hospital in Buckinghamshire,
wrote: "Unlike most patients with acute, invasive aspergillosis, our patient
did not seem to be immunosuppressed."



Andy

"However, smoking and welding could have damaged his lungs, increasing his
vulnerability.

"Since he died so quickly, we cannot exclude the possibility that he had an
undetected immunodeficiency."

They concluded: "Acute aspergillosis after contact with decayed plant matter
is rare, but may be considered an occupational hazard for gardeners."