Cocciodiomycosis: San Joaquin Valley Fever

Dream of Californication

California: the Golden State, my old stomping ground, my home. I grew up in LA, yet despite my close proximity to both Hollywood and the beach, I grew up to become a social hermit who really dislikes sunbathing and sunlight. But man do I love California...

Today's post is all about microbiology and I've decided to celebrate California with Cocciodiomycosis!

The San Joaquin Valley is a lovely area in California. I would say it's most famous for being associated with the systemic fungal infection, Coccidiomycosis, but SJV natives would say that there's more to it than just fungal diseases. Other systemic fungal diseases include Blastomycosis and Histoplasmosis. These are found more towards the Mississippi River, which too is a nice place.

Systemic fungal diseases are usually acquired through the inhalation of spores. The presentation may include acute lung disease that may resemble tuberculosis. It may also spread systematically and lead to cutaneous lesions.

All the systemic fungal diseases display dimorphism - they come in two shapes. For Coccidiomycosis, it is shaped as a spherule with endospores within human tissue. In culture one may see some barrel shaped anthrospores.