Stories From the Field Illness tracked at the Iowa governor's
mansion In January 2008, 9 cases of lung disease were identified
in office workers in Des Moines. These workers developed
symptoms similar to those of influenza: fever, chills, muscle
aches, and cough. The CDC assisted the county and state health
departments in investigating the source of this outbreak,
through conducting environmental sampling to find the source.
Workers were diagnosed with histoplasmosis, a fungal infection
caused by inhaling the spores of the fungus Histoplasma
capsulatum, which is commonly found in Iowa and the Midwest. It
turned out that all the sick individuals had attended a
Christmas party at the Iowa governor's mansion, a 100-year-old
building which was undergoing a roof replacement. The
construction debris was being pushed down a chute near the front
door, creating a dust cloud. The office workers who later became
ill had unloaded food for the party, making numerous trips from
their cars through the dust cloud, which was