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JOPLIN, MO (AP) --
A federal agency has lowered the number of Joplin tornado survivors who contracted a rare fungal disease from 12 to 10.
     
Kristen Nordlund, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, says two of the cases that were initially believed to be caused by mucormycosis were caused by a different fungus.
     
The Springfield News-Leader reported Saturday that five of the people with the fungal infections have died. But authorities have
said it was unclear what role the fungus played in their deaths because they had other serious ailments.
     
A team of investigators from the CDC is trying to pinpoint whether those who got the infections had common risk factors.
      
Information from: Springfield News-Leader, http://www.news-leader.com

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