The 61-year-old patient was admitted to Wythenshawe Hospital, complaining of breathing difficulties. It was later revealed that he had contracted a fungal infection (triggering hypersensitivity pneumonitis), which sadly proved fatal. It is thought that the fungus was living inside the bagpipes that the man regularly played. and that he had inhaled spores over a period of time.
The reason the bagpipes were suspected was because, according to The Guardian, the man, who played his bagpipes almost every day, had been unwell for a number of years. The only exception to this was when he spent a few months travelling abroad and left his bagpipes at home. During this period of time he made a slight recovery, only for the symptoms to worsen on his return to the U.K.
The consultant at the hospital who treated the man, Dr Jenny King, told the BBC: “These organisms are around in the air, but they’re not usually at a high enough level to cause problems. You do sometimes see this type of lung problem in people who work on farms and are exposed to lots of moldy hay.”
Lauren Booth (@LaurenBoothUK) “Okay there’s enough badness in the world but fungi and mold inside bagpipes too eeeeww.”
The disease that the man suffered from, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, is characterized by inflammation in the air sacs in the lungs. The condition begins when the immune system reacts to some form of trigger. In this case the trigger was likely to have been fungi, especially given that mold was found within the man’s bagpipes (various species, primarily Paecilomyces variotti, Fusarium oxysporum, Penicillium species, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Trichosporon mucoides, an unidentifiable pink yeast and Exophiala dermatitidis.) The types of fungi are mostly associated with plants. The fungi were found fungi living in the instrument’s neck, the cap that fits over the reed and in air blown out of the bag.
Because of this case, medics have extended a warning to all people who regularly play instruments which require breathing or blowing, such as trumpets and saxophones. The warning, Live Science notes, recommends that all instruments are cleaned on a regular basis.
Where On Earth? (@WeirdandDead) “Musicians, clean your instruments regularly! This man died from molds and fungi in his bagpipes.”
Ian Clabburn, chairman of The Bagpipe Society, indicated that this type of disease is rare and bagpipe players generally let their bags dry out, which would;d minimize mold growth. He also adds, in an interview with The Daily Telegraph: “Most modern bagpipes are also treated with a seasoning which makes the bag airtight but also often contains an antifungal agent.”
The case of the bagpipe player has been written up as a case note in the journal Thorax. The paper is titled “Bagpipe lung; a new type of interstitial lung disease?”
