Valley Fever Research Paper

Also known as Valley fever is an infection that is caused by the fungi Coccidioides. The fungus grows in soil found in the southwestern part of the United States as well as Mexico and Central/South America. Those living in these designated areas can contract this disease by inhaling the fungal spores in the air. This is considered a self limiting respiratory infection so most individuals that are infected present with mild to no symptoms at all. A patient with this disease can present with the following signs and symptoms anywhere from 1-3 weeks after breathing in the fungal spores due to its incubation period of 10-16 days. The symptoms consist of, fatigue, cough, SOB, fever, chills, HA, night sweats, muscle aches/joint pain, rash on the upper body or legs (erythema nodosum). These symptoms can last 7-30 days or up to several months depending on the severity. In regards to patient history, it is important to get a travel history especially if they went to an endemic area to determine their risk of exposure. Some exam findings could be respiratory manifestations such as rales, rhonchi, bronchial breath sounds, or decreased breath sounds. Skin findings could consist of diffuse, maculopapular rashes or urticaria that may progress to erythema nodosum or erythema multiforme after 3-21 days. Abscess formation can also be found on PE and unifocal bone or joint lesions if MS involvement. It can involve several organs such as the spleen, liver, lymph nodes, and the CNS can be involved resulting in meningitis.
IgG antibodies can be detected and are positive in 85-90% of patients by 3 months after infection onset