Coccidioidomycosis

Coccidioidomycosis coccidiomycosis) is a fungal disease caused by Coccidioides immitis or C. posadasii. It is endemic in certain parts of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and northwestern Mexico.C. immitis resides in the soil in certain parts of the southwestern United States, northern Mexico, and parts of Central and South America [http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/valley-fever/DS00695/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print]. It is dormant during long dry spells, then develops as a mold with long filaments that break off into airborne spores when the rains come. The spores, known as arthroconidia, are swept into the air by disruption of the soil, such as during construction or farming. Infection is caused by inhalation of the particles. The disease is not transmitted from person to person. C. immitis is a dimorphic saprophytic organism that grows as a mycelium in the soil and produces a spherule form in the host organism. The disease is usually mild, with flu-like symptoms and rashes, and the Mayo Clinic estimates that half the population in some affected areas have suffered from the disease. On occasion, those particularly susceptible, including pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems, and those of Asian, Hispanic and African descent, may develop a serious or even fatal illness from valley fever. Serious complications include severe pneumonia, lung nodules, and disseminated disease, where the fungus spreads throughout the body. The disseminated form of valley fever can devastate the body, causing skin ulcers and abscesses to bone lesions, severe joint pain, heart inflammation, urinary tract problems, meningitis, and death.It has been known to infect humans, dogs, cattle, livestock, llamas, apes, monkeys, kangaroos, wallabies, tigers, bears, badgers, otters and marine mammals. Symptomatic infection usually presents as an influenza-like illness with fever, cough, headaches, rash, and myalgia . Some patients fail to recover and develop chronic pulmonary infection or widespread disseminated infection . Severe pulmonary disease may develop in HIV-infected persons. The disease can be fatal. (From the Wikpedia article Coccidioidomycosis.)

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Recent Publications on Coccidioidomycosis:
Coccidioidomycosis among Scholarship Athletes and Other College Students, Arizona, USA. To compare coccidioidomycosis case rates among groups of young adults in a...	2nd February, 2010	University of Arizona Campus Health Service, Tucson, Arizona, USA.	Emerg Infect Dis. 2010 Feb;16(2):321-3.
Pituitary tumours: inflammatory and granulomatous expansive lesions of the pituitary. Inflammatory and granulomatous diseases of the pituitary are rare causes...	2nd February, 2010	Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Brescia,	Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Oct;23(5):639-50. DOI Direct Link
Outcomes among inmates treated for coccidioidomycosis at a correctional institution during a community outbreak, Kern County, California, 2004. BACKGROUND: Treatment of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis is typically limited...	27th January, 2010	Epidemic Intelligence Service, Office of Workforce and Career Development,	Clin Infect Dis. 2009 Dec 1;49(11):e113-9. DOI Direct Link
[Endemic fungal pathogens in a rural setting of Argentina: seroepidemiological study in dogs.] BACKGROUND: Three fungal species causing human disease, namely...	26th January, 2010	Departamento Micologia, INEI, ANLIS Dr. Carlos G. Malbran, Buenos Aires,	Rev Iberoam Micol. 2010 Jan 22. DOI Direct Link
Polyfunctional T lymphocytes are in the peripheral blood of donors naturally immune to coccidioidomycosis and are not induced by dendritic cells. Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection endemic in the southwestern...	22nd January, 2010	Department of Immunobiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.	Infect Immun. 2010 Jan;78(1):309-15. Epub 2009 Nov 9. DOI Direct Link
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Coccidioidomycosis Clinical Trials:
Risk of Coccidioidomycosis in Patients Receiving Anti-TNF and Other Biologic Agents for an Inflammatory Arthritis

Coccidioidomycosis Patents:
US Patent No.	Title
7482013	Albumin fusion proteins
7527981	Bioweapon-detecting fibrous-network products and methods for making same
7534897	Indole arylsulfonaimide compounds exhibiting PGD 2 receptor antagonism
7541434	Polypeptide for a TRP channel family member, TRP-PLIK2, and splice variants
7553798	Heterocyclic carboxamides with microbiocidal activity
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Companies working in the area of Coccidioidomycosis from Bioportfolio's Biocorporate database :
Company Name
Immuno Mycologics, Inc. 2003 The Company IMMY was founded in 1979 to produce fungal diagnostic products. IMMY then attracted a staff of knowledgable, qualified people who remain dedicated to quality and innovation. The company... www.immy.com/        View full profile

BioPortfolio Ltd. offers e-mail and postal lists for Coccidioidomycosis scientists - we have details of around 248 individuals working on Coccidioidomycosis .