My 12 year old daughter colonizes staph and aspergillus in her lungs. She's had the staph for years, the aspergillus mold is new. (She does not have an allergic reaction to the mold, so I've been told it is doing no harm.) Her lung function is normal and she rarely coughs - maybe once a day. Our CF doctor does not advise giving antibiotics to get rid of the staph or mold because he says she will just recolonize. This has always worried me. In these chats, it seems like everyone gets treated with antibiotics as soon as staph is detected. Any thoughts?
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can you leave aspergillus and staph untreated?
- Thread starter anonymous
- Start date
Hi, my daughter had aspergillus. She did have an allergic issue with it and was treated for a while and now seems to be doing well with no signs of aspergillus. When we were first told about it they told us that they don't really do anything about it UNLESS they have an allergy to it. Otherwise they just leave it alone and monitor.That was what her CF docs in Dayton, Ohio told us. Trust your daughters docs, if she's not having a problem with it then they don't need to treat her for it. The treatment my daughter received for it was Sporanox and Prednisone. Believe me, you don't want your child to be on a steroid if it isn't necessary. Even though it was a low dose later tapered to alternating days a week, then to just a couple times a week. Still, we weighed the pros and cons of long term steroids. Even though the likelyhood of treatment would only be about 6 - 9 months, to us that was not "short term". They will most likely watch her levels and keep an eye on if she is starting to have a problem with it. It's OK to let it go, just keep it in mind if things start going a little screwy and unusual for her. Remember to ask, "hmmm, could this be because of the asperigllus?"Hope I"ve helped.Liza
I have never been treated for an Aspergillus allergic reaction. But I am treated with antifungals to get rid of it. For a year I had problems with my lungs, bleeding, a lot and finally I went on Sporonax to clear up the asperigillus and have had little bouts of blood since. I have heard many docs who do treat it. But my docs have said they are finding it can cause more problems than they originally thought. Many docs, many different theories. Sarah26w/CF
for the majority of pwcf, staph doesnt cause many problems. HOWEVER remember everyone is different; for me, when i get a nasty exasurbation, its always bucketloads of staph i grow. so yes if im growing it i get it treated! if it causes problems, i would get it treated <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
My daughter was treated for mold in her sinuses with Sporonax and she has Cystic Fibrosis. I can tell a big difference in how comfortable she is now as compared to before. I now myself am being treated with Sporonax after begging my doctor to let me try it before he made me spend lots of money at an allergist. Believe it or not just after being on the medication for one day, I can already tell it is working. I personally feel that as much as I had to clear my throat, I irritated the throat and made it more susceptible to secondary infections. Praise God I researched my symptoms and knew what I was talking about to be able to direct the doctor in the right path..and finally after a CAT scan and lung xrays (normal) he listened.!!!!!!!
I also have aspergillus and treated it for a while with nebulized amphoteracyn (horrible) The treatments did not eliminate the aspergillus. My doc seem to think that since there is pseudomonas and other stuff growing in there anyways that we should just leave the aspergillus untreated. As far as staph goes, whenever I culture that I'm usually feeling really bad and need to be treated.
I, too have staph (MRSA) and aspergillus. I have not treated the aspergillus at all because of no allergic reaction & the staph did give me some problems & I treated it w/ doxycycline & it really helped. I wasn't coughing as much after the doxycycline. Like everyone else said, unless it seems that she's having increased coughing spells, more sputum, etc, I would leave it & just keep an eye on it. It sounds scary, but that's how it's handled often times.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
I'm thinking there at 2 different types of MRSA, a skin type that goes around in team/locker room settings and a lung MRSA that is in your sputum. The sputum MRSA is the type we are referring to & I don't know if it would be treated the same as skin MRSA or not. Just my non-medical opinion.<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
I cultured aspergillus many years ago and was told it was up to me whether I wanted to treat it, though my doctor wasn't too concerned. He said the only time you absolutely have to treat it is if its causing problems or you're going for a TX. I took sporonax for several weeks and was so nauseated and depleted of my appetite that I had to stop. I think the fungus is still there, but I don't mind as long as I'm not effected by it... I'd rather gain weight, and there is no way I would gain weight on that medicine! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
Oh, by the way, how would you know if you were allergic to aspergillus? Would you have symptoms? Could you develp an allergy to it later in life? Thanks!
Oh, by the way, how would you know if you were allergic to aspergillus? Would you have symptoms? Could you develp an allergy to it later in life? Thanks!
when youre allegic to aspergillus your ige will go sky high. you will also have asthma symptoms and coughing up those hard plugs are common [sometimes they are stained brown]. i actually cultured it when i was about 15 and the doc who saw me suspected i was allergic to it. i also had skin prick tests showing i was allergic. when she consulted with the docs higher up they said not to treat it, which she was quite annoyed about. maybe if i got rid of it back then i wouldnt have so many problems with it now.
Hi There,
My 18mth pld son has cultured Staph since he was born.
He has never had any sort of problem yet from it and so after a few rounds of antibiotics they have decided to leave it alone unless he becomes unwell.
I am much preferable of this option, as his xrays showed normal etc.
Good Luck
Rebekah '
Mother to Matt 18mths w/cf
My 18mth pld son has cultured Staph since he was born.
He has never had any sort of problem yet from it and so after a few rounds of antibiotics they have decided to leave it alone unless he becomes unwell.
I am much preferable of this option, as his xrays showed normal etc.
Good Luck
Rebekah '
Mother to Matt 18mths w/cf
Staphylococcus is a bacteria that grows in colonies and is found on the skin and in the respiratory tract of humans. Some strains though can cause infection. MRSA ( methicillin resistant staph aureus) is one of them and is an ongoing problem in the hospitals with many patients, not just people with CF. Many antibiotics are derived from one another. Therefore, if one doesnt work to fight the infection the odds are that the others in that family will not either. Thankfully there are many different classes of antibiotics allowing for treatment.
Staphylococcus is a bacteria that grows in colonies and is found on the skin and in the respiratory tract of humans. Some strains though can cause infection. MRSA ( methicillin resistant staph aureus) is one of them and is an ongoing problem in the hospitals with many patients, not just people with CF. Many antibiotics are derived from one another. Therefore, if one doesnt work to fight the infection the odds are that the others in that family will not either. Thankfully there are many different classes of antibiotics allowing for treatment.