Can Valley Fever be misdiagnosed?
Yes. Depending upon the symptoms, it may be confused with cancer, tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic fatigue syndrome and others. However, if the specific blood test to measure antibodies against the fungus is performed along with chest x-rays, travel history through the Southwest, and when appropriate skin test results are performed and considered, a diagnosis is made. The isolation in laboratory culture of the causative fungus from sputum, tissue or body fluids is diagnostic as is the presence of the diagnostic spherules as seen in histopathology.
