In a first-ever case, an Indian man infected with lethal plant fungus

In a first-ever instance, an Indian man has contracted a plant fungal disease.

The 61-year-old patient presented to the hospital complaining of a recurring couch, hoarseness of voice, difficulty swallowing, a sore throat and fatigue for three months, according to medical professionals at the Consultant Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals in India, who reported their findings in the journal Medical Mycology Case Reports.

The unnamed man was a mushroom hunter and had no underlying medical issues that would have put him at risk, and it's not known when the incident took place.

Doctors did an X-ray and CT scans on him. The results of the chest X-ray were "normal," but the paratracheal abscess in his neck was revealed by the CT scan.

Experts noted that until this occurrence, there has been no indication that humans could be affected by this particular fungus.

The unique example "raises serious problems" because it demonstrates that a fungus can infect both "healthy and immunocompromised individuals".