COCCIDIOIDOMYCOSIS

Coccidioidomycosis has been recognized as a distinct disease since 1892 and as a fungal infection since 1900. A recent epidemic of coccidioidomycosis in California1 and the possibility of this infection's occurrence in association with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection2 have renewed interest in the disease. The fungus Coccidioides immitis lives in soil (Figure 1). The infectious particle is the arthroconidium (arthrospore). When arthroconidia become airborne, they can establish new sites in the soil. The fungus undergoes an alternative form of development when inhaled by a potential host. In the United States, accidental inhalation of airborne arthroconidia causes an estimated 100,000. © 1995, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.