<\/span><\/h2>\nCoccidioidomycosis is a fungus infection<\/span> It mainly affects the lungs and respiratory tract. In rare cases, it can spread to other parts of the body.<\/p>\nCoccidioidomycosis is also known as the San Joaquin Valley fever<\/span> (or just valley fever) or desert rheumatism. It occurs in the western United States and parts of Mexico and Central and South America.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>What Causes Coccidioidomycosis?<\/span><\/h2>\nCoccidioidomycosis is caused by two distinct species of soil fungus Coccidiodies, Coccidioides immitis<\/em> and Coccidioides posadaii<\/em>.<\/p>\nInfection occurs through:<\/p>\n
\n- \nInhalation<\/span> spore during outdoor activities (most common)<\/li>\n
- Puncture wounds with infected objects.<\/li>\n
- Organ transplant<\/span> or sexual transmission from an infected individual (rare).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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<\/span>What are the signs and symptoms of coccidioidomycosis?<\/span><\/h2>\nIn 65% of cases, patients with coccidioidomycosis are asymptomatic<\/span>.<\/p>\nPatients with mild or self-limited infections will have:<\/p>\n
\n- Mild fever with chills and night sweats.<\/li>\n
- Fatigue<\/li>\n
- Pain (headaches, sore throat, chest pain)<\/li>\n
- A cough, with possible sputum<\/span> production and hemoptysis<\/li>\n
- Swelling of the lower limb \/ foot<\/li>\n
- Loss of appetite<\/li>\n
- Rattling of the chest, sometimes opaque from percussion over the lung fields.<\/li>\n
- \nArthralgias<\/span>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Primary<\/span> cutaneous<\/span> coccidioidomycosis is very rare and arises from a inoculation<\/span> injury. It comes as a indurated<\/span> nodule<\/span> and is one of the causes of sporotrichoid spread associated with lymphadenopathy<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/span>What is it disseminated<\/span> coccidioidomycosis and what are the signs and symptoms?<\/span><\/h2>\nDisseminated coccidioidomycosis refers to the spread of lung infection to other organs.<\/p>\n
This progress can be rapid and involve soft tissues<\/span>, joints, central nervous system, endocrine<\/span> glands, eyes, liver, kidneys, peritoneal<\/span> cavity and, most seriously, the meninges (lining around the brain). Left untreated, coccidioid infections of the meninges are almost always fatal.<\/p>\nPatients with disseminated coccidioidomycosis may present:<\/p>\n
\n- Altered mental state<\/li>\n
- \nLymph node<\/span> extension<\/li>\n
- Neck stiffness<\/li>\n
- Swelling \/ stiffness of the joints.<\/li>\n
- Sensitivity to light<\/li>\n
- Unexplained weight loss <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/span>What are the skin characteristics of disseminated coccidioidomycosis?<\/span><\/h2>\nThe skin signs are variable and can include single or multiple infections. papules<\/span>, nodules<\/span>, pustules<\/span>abscesses ulcers<\/span> and scars<\/p>\nReactive manifestations can include:<\/p>\n
\n- \nErythema<\/span> knotty (common, arising three weeks after pulmonary<\/span> infection)<\/li>\n
- Erythema multiforme<\/li>\n
- A exanthema<\/span> or toxic<\/span> erythema<\/span> (in 10 to 50% of patients)<\/li>\n
- \nAcute<\/span> febrile<\/span> neutrophilic<\/span> skin disease<\/span> (rare)<\/li>\n
- \nInterstitial<\/span> granulomatous<\/span> dermatitis<\/span> (rare).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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<\/span>What are the risk factors for coccidioidomycosis?<\/span><\/h2>\nRisk factors for coccidioidomycosis include:<\/p>\n
\n- Travel to endemic<\/span> areas (the southwestern United States and parts of Mexico, Central and South America). <\/li>\n
- \nImmunocompromised<\/span> status (immunodeficiency, immunosuppressive drugs)<\/li>\n
- The pregnancy<\/li>\n
- Occupation. Farmers, construction workers and archaeologists are at risk.<\/li>\n
- \nSex<\/span>. Men are at higher overall risk than women, mainly for occupational reasons.<\/li>\n
- Race. Filipinos, Africans, Native Americans, or Hispanics with blood types A or B are considered to be at higher risk.<\/li>\n
- History of lymphoma<\/span>, organ transplantation or treatment with tumor<\/span> necrosis<\/span> factor inhibitors (TNF)<\/li>\n
- Time of the year. Incidence<\/span> it is greatest in late summer and early fall due to a combination of dry soil and wind.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/span>How is coccidioidomycosis diagnosed?<\/span><\/h2>\nThe diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis is made through:<\/p>\n
\n- Blood tests to look for coccidioid species<\/li>\n
- Sputum smear (KOH microscopy<\/span>)<\/li>\n
- \nPolymerase chain reaction<\/span> (PCR<\/span>) from an infected site<\/li>\n
- Isolation of organism<\/span> in culture<\/span> and subsequent histological<\/span> and serological<\/span> tests. <\/li>\n
- Chest x-ray<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
More serious cases may require additional tests, including:<\/p>\n
\n- Lung, liver, or lymph node or bone marrow biopsy<\/span>\n<\/li>\n
- Spinal blow (for suspected meningeal involvement)<\/li>\n
- Bronchoscopy with lavage<\/li>\n
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Skin biopsy. This can show suppurative<\/span> granulomas<\/span> containing refractile double-walled spherules with endospores. See <\/span>pathology<\/span> of coccidioidomycosis.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/span>How is coccidioidomycosis treated?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n- For mild, self-limited symptoms, supportive care is more common.<\/li>\n
- Drug therapy with fluconazole or itraconazole (for moderate cases) or posaconazole or amphotericin B (for severe cases) is standard. This treatment can continue for months or years, and in some patients, lifelong suppression will be required.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/section>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00bfQu\u00e9 es la coccidioidomicosis? La coccidioidomicosis es un hongo infecci\u00f3n que afecta principalmente a los pulmones y al tracto respiratorio. En casos raros, puede extenderse a otras partes del cuerpo….<\/p>","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[204],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6533","wiki","type-wiki","status-publish","format-standard","category-glosario-definiciones"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhoogstra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wiki\/6533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhoogstra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wiki"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhoogstra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wiki"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhoogstra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhoogstra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6533"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhoogstra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wiki\/6533\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/doctorhoogstra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhoogstra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/doctorhoogstra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}