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General Category => Off the Record => Topic started by: Razgovory on July 21, 2013, 02:21:08 AM

Title: Stupid biology question/medical question
Post by: Razgovory on July 21, 2013, 02:21:08 AM
Spores from fungus and plants are around us all the time, especially fungus.  We breath this stuff in all the time, so how come our lungs aren't lined with mold?  I'm guessing there is some sort of mechanism in the body that destroys them, but I don't know what.
Title: Re: Stupid biology question/medical question
Post by: Eddie Teach on July 21, 2013, 02:27:49 AM
How do you know our lungs aren't lined with mold? Have you been slicing people open to check? :o
Title: Re: Stupid biology question/medical question
Post by: 11B4V on July 21, 2013, 02:29:37 AM
Quote from: Razgovory on July 21, 2013, 02:21:08 AM
Spores from fungus and plants are around us all the time, especially fungus.  We breath this stuff in all the time, so how come our lungs aren't lined with mold?  I'm guessing there is some sort of mechanism in the body that destroys them, but I don't know what.

Does it hurt when you pee? If so, you have a fungus.
Title: Re: Stupid biology question/medical question
Post by: Admiral Yi on July 21, 2013, 02:49:26 AM
Quote from: Peter Wiggin on July 21, 2013, 02:27:49 AM
How do you know our lungs aren't lined with mold? Have you been slicing people open to check? :o

:lol:
Title: Re: Stupid biology question/medical question
Post by: Fate on July 21, 2013, 08:13:43 AM
Quote from: Razgovory on July 21, 2013, 02:21:08 AM
Spores from fungus and plants are around us all the time, especially fungus.  We breath this stuff in all the time, so how come our lungs aren't lined with mold?  I'm guessing there is some sort of mechanism in the body that destroys them, but I don't know what.

Cilia (little arms on your cells, acts like a conveyor belt) in your lungs transport grime retrograde up your airway 24/7. There are also cells called macrophages and eosinophils that line the interstitium of your airways. They can kill fungi by phagocytosis and secreting cytotoxic molecules. You're colonized by many different fungi right now. Your immune system is just able to keep it in check. When you become immunocompromised fungal infections go wild. People with AIDS get all sorts of weird shit that doesn't exist in normal hosts.

There are some fungi that can make normal people sick. Where you live histoplasmosis and blastomycosis cause a good number of pneumonia cases. However you're very unlikely to get the disseminated form that goes beyond the lungs.
Title: Re: Stupid biology question/medical question
Post by: CountDeMoney on July 21, 2013, 08:54:39 AM
Quote from: Fate on July 21, 2013, 08:13:43 AM
People with AIDS get all sorts of weird shit that doesn't exist in normal hosts.

They turn into big loaves of sourdough.
Title: Re: Stupid biology question/medical question
Post by: Razgovory on July 21, 2013, 03:30:14 PM
Quote from: Fate on July 21, 2013, 08:13:43 AM
Quote from: Razgovory on July 21, 2013, 02:21:08 AM
Spores from fungus and plants are around us all the time, especially fungus.  We breath this stuff in all the time, so how come our lungs aren't lined with mold?  I'm guessing there is some sort of mechanism in the body that destroys them, but I don't know what.

Cilia (little arms on your cells, acts like a conveyor belt) in your lungs transport grime retrograde up your airway 24/7. There are also cells called macrophages and eosinophils that line the interstitium of your airways. They can kill fungi by phagocytosis and secreting cytotoxic molecules. You're colonized by many different fungi right now. Your immune system is just able to keep it in check. When you become immunocompromised fungal infections go wild. People with AIDS get all sorts of weird shit that doesn't exist in normal hosts.

There are some fungi that can make normal people sick. Where you live histoplasmosis and blastomycosis cause a good number of pneumonia cases. However you're very unlikely to get the disseminated form that goes beyond the lungs.

Thank you Fate.  It was just something I was wondering about.
Title: Re: Stupid biology question/medical question
Post by: Ed Anger on July 21, 2013, 07:33:05 PM
Histoplasmosis sucks big donkey balls.
Title: Re: Stupid biology question/medical question
Post by: Lucidor on July 22, 2013, 01:02:43 PM
Fate, all that science takes the fun out of fungus! ;)
Title: Re: Stupid biology question/medical question
Post by: Viking on July 22, 2013, 02:10:00 PM
Quote from: Razgovory on July 21, 2013, 02:21:08 AM
Spores from fungus and plants are around us all the time, especially fungus.  We breath this stuff in all the time, so how come our lungs aren't lined with mold?  I'm guessing there is some sort of mechanism in the body that destroys them, but I don't know what.

https://www.google.com/search?q=lungs+bacteria&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&q=lungs+bacteria&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&channel=fflb&q=lungs+bacteria&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&channel=rcs#safe=off&sclient=psy-ab&q=fungal+lung+infection+wiki&oq=wiki+fungal+lun&gs_l=serp.1.0.0i8i13i30.22598.24832.1.27256.17.15.1.1.1.1.268.2020.7j5j3.15.0....0.0..1c.1.20.psy-ab.fbWBIJ_u47c&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.49478099%2Cd.ZWU%2Cpv.xjs.s.en_US.c75bKy5EQ0A.O&fp=915928d32c2bfcfd&biw=1161&bih=1048

clicking on the link will link you to a whole bunch of fungal lung infections.

and...

the reason we don't have constant lung infections from fungus is our immune system, which doesn't just stop bacteria but it also stops viruses and fungii

I'm tempted to call you stupid, but not in this case, in this case you were being smart. Asking about stuff you don't  know is never stupid.