Valley fever: danger lurking in a dust cloud

Larry Johnson; Erin M Gaab; Javier Sanchez; Phuong Q Bui; Clarissa J Nobile; Katrina K Hoyer; Michael W Peterson; David M Ojcius

doi:10.1016/j.micinf.2014.06.011

Valley fever: danger lurking in a dust cloud

Microbes Infect. 2014 Aug;16(8):591-600. doi: 10.1016/j.micinf.2014.06.011. Epub 2014 Jul 16.

Authors

Larry Johnson¹, Erin M Gaab², Javier Sanchez¹, Phuong Q Bui¹, Clarissa J Nobile¹, Katrina K Hoyer¹, Michael W Peterson³, David M Ojcius⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA; Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA.
² Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA.
³ Department of Internal Medicine, University of California San Francisco - Fresno, Fresno, CA 93703, USA.
⁴ Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA; Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA. Electronic address: david.ojcius@gmail.com.

Abstract

Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii contribute to the development of Valley Fever. The ability of these fungal pathogens to evade the host immune system creates difficulty in recognition and treatment of this debilitating infection. In this review, we describe the current knowledge of Valley Fever and approaches to improve prevention, detection, and treatment.

Keywords: Adaptive immunity; Coccidioides; Fungal pathogen; Innate immunity; Lung infection.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Coccidioides / isolation & purification*
Coccidioides / pathogenicity
Coccidioidomycosis / diagnosis
Coccidioidomycosis / drug therapy
Coccidioidomycosis / microbiology*
Coccidioidomycosis / prevention & control
Dust*
Environmental Microbiology*
Humans

Substances

Dust

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding