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:
Point-source outbreak of coccidioidomycosis in construction workers. SUMMARYCoccidioidomycosis results from inhaling spores of the fungus...	23rd October, 2009	Infectious Diseases Branch, Division of Communicable Disease Control,	Epidemiol Infect. 2009 Oct 22:1-5. DOI Direct Link
Chapter 2: coccidioidomycosis. Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic mycosis caused by the dimorphic fungi...	13th October, 2009	Universidade Federal	J Bras Pneumol. 2009 Sep;35(9):920-30.
Coccidioidomycosis in transplant recipients: a primer for clinicians in nonendemic areas. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection caused by...	9th October, 2009	Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic Hospital, Phoenix, Arizona,	Curr Opin Organ Transplant. 2009 Oct 6. DOI Direct Link
Coccidioidomycosis: an unexpected diagnosis in a patient with persistent cough. Coccidioidomycosis is an endemic fungal infection of the new world caused...	9th October, 2009	Laboratoriumgeneeskunde, UZ Leuven, Belgium.	Acta Clin Belg. 2009 May-Jun;64(3):235-8.
Cerebral coccidioidomycosis after renal transplantation in a non-endemic area. Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection caused by Coccidioides species...	22nd September, 2009	Nephrology, Research and Development Unit, School of Medicine, University	Transpl Infect Dis. 2009 Sep 17. 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
7435808	Polynucleotides encoding novel adiponectin receptor variant, AdipoR2v2
7491508	Methods of generating chimeric adenoviruses and uses for such chimeric adenoviruses
7491743	Inhibitors of cellular necrosis
7494979	Method for treating congestive heart failure and other disorders
7498027	Methods of treatment using human tumor necrosis factor receptor TR17 antibodies
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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 .