Valley Fever, Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment.

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Chapters

0:00 Introduction
0:42 Symptoms of Valley Fever
1:25 Chronic Coccidioidomycosis
1:51 Disseminated coccidioidomycosis
2:32 Causes of Valley Fever
2:56 Treatment of Valley Fever
3:37 Prevention of Valley fever


Coccidioidomycosis (/kɒkˌsɪdiɔɪdoʊmaɪˈkoʊsɪs/, kok-sid-ee-oy-doh-my-KOH-sis), commonly known as cocci,[3] Valley Fever,[3] as well as California Fever,[4] desert rheumatism,[4] or San Joaquin Valley Fever,[4] is a mammalian fungal disease caused by Coccidioides immitis or Coccidioides posadasii.[5] Coccidioidomycosis is endemic in certain parts of the United States in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and northern Mexico.[6]

C. immitis is a dimorphic saprophytic fungus that grows as a mycelium in the soil and produces a spherule form in the host organism. It resides in the soil in certain parts of the southwestern United States, most notably in California and Arizona.[3] It is also commonly found in northern Mexico, and parts of Central and South America.[3] C. immitis is dormant during long dry spells, then develops as a mold with long filaments that break off into airborne spores when it rains. The spores, known as arthroconidia, are swept into the air by disruption of the soil, such as during construction, farming, or an earthquake.[7] Windstorms may also cause epidemics far from endemic areas. In December 1977, a windstorm in an endemic area around Arvin, California led to several hundred cases, including deaths, in non-endemic areas hundreds of miles away.[8]


Coccidioidomycosis is a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia in the endemic areas of the United States.[3] Infections usually occur due to inhalation of the arthroconidial spores after soil disruption.[3] The disease is not contagious.[3] In some cases the infection may recur or become chronic.
After Coccidioides infection, coccidioidomycosis begins with Valley fever, which is its initial acute form. Valley fever may progress to the chronic form and then to disseminated coccidioidomycosis. Therefore, Coccidioidomycosis may be divided into the following types:[9]

Acute coccidioidomycosis, sometimes described in literature as primary pulmonary coccidioidomycosis
Chronic coccidioidomycosis
Disseminated coccidioidomycosis, which includes primary cutaneous coccidioidomycosis