Blastomycosis

There are no effective primary preventative measures for blastomycosis. There is no vaccine available for clinical use.

• The only secondary preventative measure for blastomycosis is to decrease exposure to the environmental source of the infection, if the source is known. For some patients, due to occupational requirements or recreational preferences, this is not possible. In these instances, patients should be instructed to monitor carefully for signs or symptoms of recurrent disease and to seek medical attention early if symptoms recur.

• If the patient is immunocompromised, and the cause of the immunocompromise is reversible, the risk of recurrent disease can be decreased. Full-dose itraconazole therapy should be continued for 1 year, and consideration should be given to subsequent lifelong secondary prophylaxis with low-dose itraconazole therapy if the underlying immunosuppression cannot be corrected.