I would be very carefull, alot of people have come out of those things with Parasites, it will put you in the hospital if your not careful.
I would wear a mask at all times while in the cave, and be careful not to over exert yourself. The HARDER You breathe, the MORE you breathe.
Haha! Thanks for the heads-up. It’s amusing how most people fear vampire bats, tarantulas, and tailless whip scorpions we see in these caves, yet they’re hardly a concern. The real threats are the smaller, often overlooked dangers, diseases, fungi, and parasites.
I’ve been a dedicated caver and cave explorer for over 30 years, and experiences like this come with the territory. When I started this journey, I understood that there would always be risks in exploring the unknown. While we do everything we can to mitigate those risks, sometimes they catch you off guard.
On our first trip to this cave in Mexico, two other members of the expedition and I contracted histoplasmosis. We knew it was a possibility, but we didn’t notice many bats, saw very little guano, and didn’t spot any of the fungus, so we assumed we were in the clear. Turns out, we were wrong. By the time we got home, the symptoms hit. I ended up in the hospital for over a week with a fever that spiked above 104°F plus. Interestingly, the professor we work with, who grew up caving in Mexico, didn’t have any issues. I suspect he’s developed an immunity over the years.
Since then, we’ve taken extra precautions on return trips, including wearing masks when necessary.
Histoplasmosis is a common challenge for many professional cavers I know, and it’s definitely not something I’d recommend experiencing. Thankfully, since that first trip, we’ve been much more cautious and haven’t had any issues.