| Bagassosis | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Pulmonology  |
Bagassosis, aninterstitial lung disease, is a type ofhypersensitivity pneumonitis attributed to exposure to moldymolasses[1] orbagasse dust.[2][3]
Some symptoms and signs of bagassosis includebreathlessness, cough,haemoptysis, and slight fever. Acute diffuse bronchiolitis may also occur. An X-ray may show mottling of lungs or a shadow.
Bagassosis has been shown to be due to athermophilicactinomycete for which the nameThermoactinomycetes sacchari was suggested.
The following are precautionary measures that can be taken to avoid the spread of bagassosis:
Bagassosis was first reported in India by Ganguly and Pal in 1955, in a cardboard manufacturing plant near Kolkata. India has a large canesugar industry. The sugarcane fibre which, until recently, went to waste, is now utilised in the manufacture of cardboard, paper and rayon.