A new study is the first to confirm a link between an invasive fungal infection and a medical cannabis product sold to a patient in the US.
A cancer patient, using medical cannabis to manage the side effects of chemotherapy, developed a life-threatening fungal infection after using a contaminated product, says a peer-reviewed case study, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
According to the researchers, this is the first study to definitively link an infection to a pathogen found in medical cannabis, highlighting a potential public health risk, particularly for immunocompromised patients.
Cryptococcus neoformans, a potentially deadly environmental fungus, was identified at the site of the infection and in the cannabis flower they had been using, with a genetic match between the two confirming the cannabis as the source of infection.
The 46-year-old patient, who had refractory multiple myeloma blood cancer and had previously received a stem cell transplant, was using medical cannabis to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.
She was a registered medical cannabis card holder in the US state of Pennsylvania and had only purchased products, including dried flower, distillate vape cartridges and wax, from licensed dispensaries.
The woman developed symptoms consistent with a fungal infection and was diagnosed with Cryptococcus neoformans laryngitis and meningitis. She was treated with anti-fungal medication, but was later admitted to hospital with septic shock, where she developed pneumonia and died from a cardiac arrest.
According to the US Center for Disease Control, Cryptococcus neoformans is caused by breathing in fungal spores from the environment and is more common in people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS or undergoing chemotherapy.
Researchers carried out a range of tests, including whole genomic sequencing on strains of the infection taken from the patient’s spinal fluid, and were able to culture the same fungal strain from the patient’s cannabis product, making it possible to verify the cannabis flower as the source of the infection. It is believed to be the first time researchers have been able to demonstrate that the same strain of the infection was present at both the disease site and in the cannabis product.
“This is the first known case where we can definitively link a serious fungal infection to a medical cannabis product,” the authors write.
“It raises urgent questions about microbial contamination and the safety of these therapies, especially for immunocompromised individuals.”
Calls for caution and greater regulation
Medical cannabis has been shown to be effective in the management of cancer-related symptoms such as chronic pain, and nausea from chemotherapy, with one recent meta-analysis suggesting that support for cannabis use in oncology research now outweighs opposition.
However, previous case reports have linked cannabis use to invasive fungal infections, with one large health insurance database study finding it was associated with a 3.5 fold increase in risk.
While C. neoformans infections are rare, the cases raise concerns about the lack of standardised microbial safety testing for medical cannabis.
The researchers have urged caution among patients and healthcare providers, while calling for greater regulation of cannabis products on sale in the US.
“Although medical cannabis is often sold under the auspices of a dispensary, providers and patients should realise that products are not regulated pharmaceuticals,” the authors state.
“In many states, private labs are responsible for medical cannabis testing, but they do not follow standardised protocols… with growing demand for non-opioid analgesics and increased medical cannabis usage, there is clear need for rigorous clinical studies and greater regulation of cannabis products.”
The post First Confirmed Case Links Medical Cannabis Product to Rare Fungal Infection appeared first on Cannabis Health News.
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