Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis

Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis

Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis To the Editor: Coccidioidomy-cosis, an infection caused by the dimorphic fungus Coccidioides immi-tis, is endemic in the southwestern United States, parts of Mexico, and Central and South America (1). Patients with C. immitis infection may have chronic pneumonia, fungemia, and extrapulmonary dissemination to skin, bones, meninges, and other body sites. The clinic...

Posttransplantation disseminated coccidioidomycosis acquired from donor lungs.

A North Carolinian developed fatal coccidioidomycosis immediately after bilateral lung transplantation. The donor had previously traveled to Mexico, and the recipient had no travel history to an area where Coccidioides immitis is endemic. Immunosuppressive therapy of the transplant recipient likely reactivated latent Coccidioides infection in the donor lungs, leading to posttransplant coccidioi...

Natural History of Non-CNS Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis

Risk Factors for Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis, United States

Of 150,000 new coccidioidomycosis infections that occur annually in the United States, ≈1% disseminate; one third of those cases are fatal. Immunocompromised hosts have higher rates of dissemination. We identified 8 patients with disseminated coccidioidomycosis who had defects in the interleukin-12/interferon-γ and STAT3 axes, indicating that these are critical host defense pathways.

Disseminated coccidioidomycosis with multifocal musculoskeletal disease involvement

We report a rare case of disseminated coccidioidomycosis with multifocal musculoskeletal involvement. The patient presented to the emergency department with left shoulder pain and swelling. Magnetic resonance imaging of the left shoulder revealed enhancing soft tissue masses, bony lesions, and fluid collections in and around the glenohumeral joint with involvement of the proximal humerus, gleno...