New Delhi: Believe it or not, but bird droppings are one of the leading causes for death among AIDS patients.
According to scientists, Cryptococcal meningitis, a disease caused by fungus Cryptococcus neoformans -- very common in the environment due to bird droppings -- is a common reason for death among AIDS patients.
"A good percentage of death in AIDS patients is due to the disease -- Cryptococcal meningitis. This disease is caused by an organism Cryptococcus neoformans which is present in the bird feces," said Dr S Ranganathan, a microbiologist and Director, ClinRise Derma Private Limited, who conducted a study in this regard along with two other scientists.
"When soil containing bird feces is kicked up into the air, the organism Cryptococcus neoformans goes up in the air,
in the environment which when inhaled gets deposited in the lungs. From there, the fungus can travel through the blood to the spinal column and brain where it can cause disease."
He said people with good immune system when exposed to this organism will not contract the disease but those living with compromised immune systems, like AIDS patients, are more likely to experience Cryptococcal meningitis.
The aim of the study was to find out the source of the life-threatening organism. "We also wanted to know if the burden of the organism in the air was abundant or not," he said.
Dr Ranganthan along with another two scientists -- Dr Gokul Shankar and Dr Ranjit from the Asian Institute of Medical Sciences in Malaysia -- found that this organism was not only prevalent in the fecal sample of pigeons but
scavenger birds, water birds, grain-eating birds and insect-eating birds.
"Since all birds harbour this organism in their feces, the prevalence of this organism is high in the environment.
AIDS patients need to be cautious," he said.
Findings of the study have been published in the journal -- Mycoses.
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