WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — Two Williamson County families are calling for increased testing for histoplasmosis after their loved ones battled life-threatening cases of the fungal infection that took months to diagnose.
Cami Carpenter and Liam O'Neal, both relatively young people, were diagnosed with severe histoplasmosis infections after struggling to get answers about what was making them so sick. Both families say earlier testing could have prevented their conditions from becoming so severe.
"If they would've tested for the fungus, none of this would've happened," mother, Kyla Carpenter said.
"I believe had he been tested earlier, he may not have gotten as severe as he did," mother, Amy O'Neal said.
The infection is caused by breathing in spores commonly found in soil, bird or bat droppings and is common in Middle Tennessee. There have been more than 20 cases across Williamson and Maury counties, with some patients hospitalized for months.
"It was really scary to watch how fast we could've lost her," O'Neal said. "He won't make it. He's so sick. He is so so sick."
Both families questioned why doctors aren't routinely testing for the disease.
"Everyone's like it's so common in Tennessee. Well great. Why aren't we testing for it?" O'Neal said. "Go right away test for these fungus."
Expert explains testing challenges
Dr. Walter Dehority, a pediatric infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, says testing isn't done more frequently because most histoplasmosis cases resolve on their own without treatment.
"It's still a relatively rare occurrence to have a symptomatic histoplasmosis diagnosis that would warrant treatment," Dehority said.
He explained that even when histoplasma is diagnosed, treatment isn't always necessary.
"So even if we diagnosed histoplasma, we wouldn't do something about it," Dehority said. "You would end up testing a large number of people for a small percentage of the population that may have a case that requires treatment."
Dehority noted that during cold and flu season, many people have flu-like symptoms that probably aren't histoplasmosis.
"A couple of things to keep in mind is we're in the middle of cold and flu season so almost everyone you know probably has a flu-like illness," he said. "So things that cause a runny nose or sore throat probably isn't histoplasma."
Construction connection investigated
The affected families all live near ongoing construction and wonder if it could have contributed to their illness. The state health department says they're looking at construction as a factor but haven't reached any conclusions about what's driving the rise in cases.
"I would go on walks and I don't know if I was walking in the fungus," Cami Carpenter said.
"He (Liam) started walking every day outside. If anyone is familiar with Spring Hill they know it's constant construction," said O'Neal.
Families seek to help others
Despite their traumatic experiences, the families are working to raise awareness about histoplasmosis to help others.
"Seeing what happened, the trauma that happened, to being able to learn from it and move on from it and help others if I can help others," Cami said.
Dehority says more patients are calling and asking about testing, which indicates increased awareness. He recommends speaking with your doctor if you have concerns about histoplasmosis.
The majority of histoplasma patients who do get sick enough to require fungal medications make a full recovery, according to Dehority.
If you've been affected by histoplasmosis or have questions about testing in your area, reach out to me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com. Your voice could help others get the answers they need.
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
