I dyed a batch of yamagoke with black ink earlier this week and had to bring it into the house to get it to dry. Now I have a mild fever and dry cough. Has anyone ever picked up a fungal infection from Japanese yamagoke?
Both my partner and I are healthcare workers, and I’ve always wondered about the veracity of the claims around people contracting diseases from handling sphagnum moss. Like a month ago at a workshop with Boon he told me someone died from it! Gnarly. But also…if this is an actual problem/risk, where’s the data? What’s the pathogen/diagnostic process/treatment?
So anyway I looked into it, the only real possibility I could find is sporotrichosis, which is a fungal infection most commonly found in nursery workers handling lots of sphagnum, people handling thorny plants, and people rolling around in piles of hay.
Most commonly contracted as a skin infection through small cuts, although it can cause respiratory infection if contaminated material is inhaled. Respiratory/systemic infection is very rare and usually only happens in people with immune disorders.
Diagnosis is straightforward, clinician usually just takes a swab and sends it for testing. Treatment is also straightforward once prescribed.
So it’s not impossible. But also I know at least in my area, there’s a shitload of generic upper respiratory infections going around, and everyone’s gotten at least one or two of them in the last couple months. If that’s also the case in your area…I would probably suspect that before something like sporotrichosis.
AND ALSO, when in doubt just go to your doc, they’re the only one who is truly qualified to tell you what’s going on with your individual health =)
Thanks, Rosa, for your response. I did see my doctor today and she thought it was probably the flu. Think horses, not zebras, right?
I’ve never undertaken dying yamagoke before and didn’t know what to expect. I used a full bag and ended up with about 4 - 5 trays of wet soggy material! Kind of messy and to be honest, smelly.
Thinking about it in retrospect, handing the dry stuff is probably more hazardous, not because of fungal spores necessarily, but having the dust get into your lungs and irritating them.
Thanks for your informative, detailed answer which was very reaassuring.
@Rosa good comments on sporotrichosis being fairly rare except for those who deal with a great deal of moss or are immunocompromised.
I agree with @Forestcat that it is nicer to deal with moss in the wet or damp state to avoid irritation due to dust. I like to use a chef’s knife to dice my damp sphagnum and green moss before passing it through a 9 mm (3/inch) screen. Seems to be less work and easier on the hands than trying to grind the dry stuff through the screen.