What is Valley Fever?
Valley Fever is a fungal infection that damages the lungs and upper respiratory tract. Coccidioidomycosis immitis is the medical name for Valley Fever. Valley Fever is caught by inhaling coccidioide spores in the desert areas where the fungus grows in the soil. Valley Fever is found in the Southwestern United States and Central and South America. Those who work with breaking up soil in those areas include farmers, archaeologists and builders digging up the soil on construction sites. They can be at risk for Valley Fever. The coccidioide spores can blow in the wind in dust from the soil and can withstand extreme temperatures. Valley Fever is never spread by person to person contact, but only through inhalation of the coccidioide spores. Animals such as dogs, cats and farm animals also catch Valley Fever through inhalation of infected spores. Animals may require medication, while humans may not if their body can fight off the fungal infection. However, death is a possibility in cases of
Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis, or cocci) is caused by the soil-dwelling fungus, Coccidioides immitis. The tiny seeds, or spores, become wind-borne and are inhaled into the lungs, where the infection starts. When soils containing the fungus are disturbed and dust is raised, spores may be inhaled with the dust. Dust disturbing activities include, the wind, construction, farming, among others. Once inside the lung, the spore transforms itself into a larger, multicellular structure called a spherule. The spherule continues to grow and will eventually burst, releasing endospores which develop into new spherules, and then repeats the cycle (Figure 1). Valley Fever is a sickness of degree. About 60 percent of the people who breathe the spores do not get sick at all. For some it may feel like a cold or flu. For those sick enough to go to the doctor, it can be serious, with pneumonia-like symptoms, requiring medications and bed rest. Of all the people infected with Valley Fever, one or more
