Ls. Snyder et Jn. Galgiani, COCCIDIOIDOMYCOSIS - THE INITIAL PULMONARY INFECTION AND BEYOND, Seminars in respiratory and critical care medicine, 18(3), 1997, pp. 235-247
Coccidioidomycosis is an infection caused by the soil-inhabiting fungu
s Coccidioides immitis, The fungus is endemic in the desert Southwest,
which is a major area of population growth and tourism, Increasing tr
avel through this region results in exposure to C, immitis for many pe
ople each year, Thus, newly acquired coccidioidal infections can be re
sponsible for pneumonia and other manifestations in patients when they
return home to nonendemic parts of the country, Coccidioidomycosis is
a fungal infection whose importance extends nationwide, and it is cru
cial that physicians everywhere have a heightened awareness of this in
fection to avert delays in diagnosis and treatment, This article descr
ibes pulmonary coccidioidomycosis and its complications for clinicians
who practice outside of the endemic regions.