Author: Michael Hunt, MD

Educational Pearls:

• Valley fever is a fungal infection known as Coccidiomycosis that can present with vague symptoms like cough, fever, myalgias.

• A thorough history is critical to the diagnosis. Disease is localized to the Southwestern US (California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah) and parts of Central/South America.

• Disease is caused by inhaling fungal spores which damage the lung. Rarely, the disease can disseminate and cause infections that require systemic anti fungal therapy.

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Increase in reported coccidioidomycosis--United States, 1998-2011. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2013; 62:217.

Saubolle MA, McKellar PP, Sussland D. (2007). Epidemiologic, clinical, and diagnostic aspects of coccidioidomycosis. Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 45:26.

Taylor AB, Briney AK. (1949). Observations on primary coccidioidomycosis. Annals of Internal Medicine. 30:1224.