Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Causes
By Mayo Clinic staffThe fungi that cause valley fever — Coccidioides immitis or Coccidioides posadasii — thrive in the arid desert soils of southern Arizona, Nevada, northern Mexico and California's San Joaquin Valley. They're also endemic to New Mexico, Texas, and parts of Central and South America — areas with mild winters and arid summers.
Like many other fungi, coccidioides species have a complex life cycle. In the soil, they grow as a mold with long filaments that break off into airborne spores when the soil is disturbed. The spores are extremely small, can be carried hundreds of miles by the wind and are highly contagious. Once inside the lungs, the spores reproduce, perpetuating the cycle of the disease.
- Longo DL, et al. Harrison's Online. 18th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=9110670. Accessed March 20, 2012.
- Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 24th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-1604-7..00341-9&isbn=978-1-4377-1604-7&sid=1288743076&uniqId=326705730-3#4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-1604-7..00341-9. Accessed March 21, 2012.
- Hage CA, et al. Endemic mycoses: Overlooked causes of community acquired pneumonia. Respiratory Medicine. In press. Accessed March 21, 2012.
- Coccidioidomycosis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/divisions/dfbmd/diseases/coccidioidomycosis/. Accessed March 20, 2012.
- Coccidioidomycosis (San Joaquin fever; valley fever). The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/infectious_diseases/fungi/coccidioidomycosis.html. Accessed March 21, 2012.
- McPhee SJ, et al. Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2012. 51st ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2012. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=19953. Accessed March 20, 2012.
- Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2012:5 Books in 1. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05611-3..00012-4--sc0190&isbn=978-0-323-05611-3&uniqId=326705730-3#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05611-3..00012-4--sc0190. Accessed March 20, 2012.
- Steckelberg JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 10, 2012.
Find Mayo Clinic on