What is "blastomycosis"

blastomycosis \blastomycosis\ n. any of several fungal infections caused by blastomycetes; they are characterized by inflammatory lesions of skin and mucous membranes or internal organs.

n. A fungal infection caused by the organism ''Blastomyces dermatitidis'', endemic to parts of North America, whose clinical symptoms resemble those of histoplasmosis.

n. any of several infections of the skin or mucous membrane caused by Blastomyces

Blastomycosis (also known as "North American blastomycosis", "Blastomycetic dermatitis", and "Gilchrist's disease") is a fungal infection of humans and other animals, notably dogs and occasionally cats, caused by the organism Blastomyces dermatitidis. Endemic to portions of North America, blastomycosis causes clinical symptoms similar to histoplasmosis. The disease occurs in several endemic areas the most important of which is in eastern North America, particularly in the western and northern periphery of the Great Lakes Basin, extending eastward along the south shore of the St. Lawrence River Valley and southward in the territory spanned by the central Appalachian Mountains in the east, to the Mississippi River Valley in the west. Sporadic cases have been reported in continental Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and the Indian subcontinent.