Two NY men die from pneumonia after using bat feces to grow pot: study

Two men from New York died from pneumonia they contracted from bat feces — after they used the excrement as fertilizer to grow marijuana, a new study found. 

The unidentified men from Rochester, aged 64 and 59, smoked pot that had been tainted with a fungus found in the bat’s droppings, known as guano, that caused fatal lung infections, according to a study published in “Open Forum Infectious Disease” earlier this month.

Their deaths were not connected to each other, which the researchers said highlights a growing trend of using bat waste to produce marijuana since the drug has been legalized.

The 59-year-old man had purchased the bat guano — described as a “natural superfood” for cannabis plants due to its high nutrients — from an online store, according to the study.

The 64-year-old had harvested a thick layer of guano in his attic where he had a heavy bat infestation to fertilize his plants.

The guano contained a potentially deadly fungus called Histoplasma capsulatum, which is native to the Eastern half of the US and is typically transmitted by breathing in the fungal spores — although it can also be ingested through the mouth.

The fungus can then cause a serious lung infection making it difficult to breathe.

For the first time, fatal cases related to individual exposures now outnumber work-related outbreak cases, the study found.

“Given the recent legalization and an expected increase in home cultivation of cannabis, along with the promotion of bat guano for this purpose, it is important to raise public awareness about the potential risk of using bat guano as fertilizer and emphasize the need for protective measures, such as wearing masks when handling it,” researchers wrote.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), symptoms of histoplasmosis include fever, cough, fatigue, chills, headache, chest pain and body aches. Symptoms typically begin showing between 3 and 17 days after breathing in the fungus.

The 59-year-old patient, an arthritic, heavy tobacco user with emphysema, was admitted to the hospital after six weeks of suffering from breathing troubles, a sore throat and weight loss, the study said. He appeared to be septic at the time.

Doctors initially thought the small masses layering his throat and vocal cords may be cancer, but learned they were from the fungus. He was treated for two weeks with antifungal medication with no success before he was transferred to hospice care and died, according to the study.

The 64-year-old, also a smoker with severe peripheral arterial disease and prior aorto-bifemoral bypass surgery, suffered from lesions in his chest and pancreas as a result of the fungal infection. After months of treatment, he ultimately died of complications related to bowel ischemia.

“These cases also highlight that growing cannabis can be a relevant part of a patient’s history as a risk factor for histoplasmosis. A wide range of the population may be at risk of acquiring the disease through this exposure, with the highest risk among immunocompromised individuals,” researchers said.

The scientists also recommended commercial biofertilizers containing bat guano should be tested for the bacteria before hitting the market.