NEW YORK (AP) — The two kinds of fungus linked to a meningitis outbreak are found in plenty of places and rarely make people sick.

People inhale one kind, Aspergillus, all the time without any problem. It’s nearly impossible to avoid, found in such places as decaying leaves, trees, grain, soil, household dust, heating ducts and building materials. The fungus can also cause skin infections if it enters a break in the skin.

The second kind, Exserohilum, is found in grass and rotting wood. When it causes disease, it’s most commonly skin infection or inflammation in the sinuses.

Patients Injected With Contaminated Steroid Demand Answers After Meningitis Kills 1 In Md.

Both were detected this week in patients with meningitis that occurred after a contaminated steroid was injected into the spinal column of some patients getting pain treatments. That provides a rapid way for fungus to cause a serious infection…