Definition of Coccidioidomycosis:

Coccidioidomycosis is infection with the spores of the fungus Coccidioides immitis.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection most commonly seen in the desert regions of the southwestern United States, and in Central and South America. You get it by breathing in fungal particles from soil. The infection starts in the lungs.

There are three forms of coccidioidomycosis: acute, chronic, or disseminated.

• Acute pulmonary coccidioidomycosis. It almost always mild, with few or no symptoms, and goes away without treatment. The incubation period -- the time between breathing in the spores and becoming sick -- is 7 to 21 days.
• Chronic pulmonary coccidioidomycosis can develop 20 or more years after initial infection. Infections (lung abscesses) can form and rupture, releasing pus (empyema) between the lungs and ribs (pleural space).
• Disseminated coccidioidomycosis is a widespread form of the disease. Infection spreads to other parts of the body, including the skin, brain, bones, and heart. Meningitis occurs in up to half of all people with disseminated coccidioidomycosis.

Traveling to an area where the fungus is commonly seen raises your risk for this infection. You are more likely to develop a serious infection if:

• You are of Native American, African or Philippine descent
• You have a weakened immune systems due to AIDS, diabetes, or medications that suppress the immune system.