Recurring H. Influenzae Bacterial Infection

February 20, 2024 9:22 AM

I've had a recurring infection of H. influenzae bacteria since early December (2023). I switched teaching jobs partly because I believed mold was pervasive at my previous worksite, however I'm beginning to believe there may be mold in my home. Is there a possible connection?

Beginning in July of 2022, I had been dating someone for about a month, and his home was a lower-level unit that most definitely had mold in it (especially black mold). I helped him clean around the windows, however he'd lived there for several years, and there was no way cleaning only the windows eradicated all of it. I had a severe episode of vertigo for a couple of days in July, and had never experienced that before (I'm 35). We dated until early January 2023.

Also in August of 2022, I began a new teaching position, and I believe most of the classrooms (including mine) had mold and water damage in them. Around September or October, I started getting recurring UTI's and yeast infections. I've heard these could result from mold sickness. So I was in this new worksite and also dating the same person, and despite urinating and cleaning properly after sex (taking all necessary precautions), these were still occurring every 2-3 weeks.

I moved into a studio unit in January 2023, and also ended the relationship with that person at this time. However, I was still working at the same worksite. I switched classrooms in August of 2023, but by then I was also getting sick every month since about February 2023. These symptoms included sore throat, body aches, coughing up green or yellow phlegm, and shortness of breath.

I switched to a new worksite earlier this month, and my new classroom seems in good condition. The ceiling does leak in one spot, but I don't see any visible stains or mold there. I'm still living in the studio unit for over one year now. However, I'm still getting sick 1-2 times per month, and with this most recent stint, it seems to be recurring since early December. I did two separate sputum cultures since then, and both came back showing H. influenzae bacteria.

I've been prescribed augmentin twice, and built up a resistance to that so it's no longer effective. I've taken Doxycyline on two separate occasions, and both times everything seems to clear up, only to come back the following week. Those prescriptions have both been only 5-day doses too. I have an urgent care appointment for today, and specifically asked if I can be prescribed azithromycin, just to try a different antibiotic.

My question is: Does this seem like a mold issue, wherein there could very well be mold in my studio unit? I don't see any, but I do smell it, and potentially in the walls. Or could this be something that I'm completely missing, and the infection is never actually being cleared up 100% when I'm taking the medications?

posted by Jangatroo to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

IANYD... this is a bacteria that most folks are immunized against when they are very young. It's an unusual infection to have if they were born after 1985ish. I would ask to see an infectious disease specialist to deal with a persistent infection that is becoming resistant to common antibiotics, and also potentially to see an immunologist to check for immunodeficiency.
posted by honeybee413 at 10:21 AM on February 20

Hi- I'm not a medical doctor but I am a microbiologist. The vaccine mentioned above only protects against one strain of H. Influenzae (type B, or Hib). Hib infections are very severe and also thankfully extremely rare due to decades of vaccine use. However, infections caused by other strains of H. Influenzae, nontypeable in particular, are still fairly common. Mostly ear infections in young children and respiratory infections in adults, particularly those with underlying lung disease. I am not aware of any evidence that mold (which is not bacterial) has anything to do with H. Influenzae infections. However I would follow up with your doctor, perhaps you need a longer course of a different antibiotic. You might also want to be evaluated for immunocompromising conditions that might be making you more susceptible to these infections. Good luck!
posted by emd3737 at 12:36 PM on February 20

Have you had covid? There is increasing evidence that covid may dysregulate your immune system and this effect could last well beyond the initial infection. This provides a possible explanation for why we are seeing increasing numbers of infections including RSV, seasonal flu, mycoplasma pneumonia, etc.

Some more information on post-covid secondary infections.
posted by lulu68 at 4:44 PM on February 20

Thank you all for the responses. I just had a video appointment with Kaiser, and they spoke with someone from the Infectious Diseases Department. He recommended another prescription of Doxycycline for 7 days this time, and since I already have a CT scan scheduled for March 1st, to wait for the results of that before proceeding further.

@lulu68, yes, I had COVID in January 2022. To this day, it has never felt like it's fully gone away. Thank you for sharing those websites; I'll definitely look more into those as it sounds like a plausible connection.
posted by Jangatroo at 5:54 PM on February 20