[Histoplasmosis: not only a tropical disease].

Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection resulting from inhalation of spores from the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum; it is known to be endemic in various parts of the world, especially in North and Latin America, and can produce a spectrum of illness, from subclinical infection to progressive disseminated disease. The majority of infected persons have an asymptomatic, self-limiting illness. Clinical pneumonia occurs in those with exposure to a large number of infecting spores.