Coccidioidal Pulmonary Cavitation: A New Age

Lovedip Kooner; Augustine Munoz; Austin Garcia; Akriti Kaur; Rupam Sharma; Virginia Bustamante; Vishal Narang; George R Thompson 3rd; Rasha Kuran; Amir Berjis; Royce H Johnson; Arash Heidari

doi:10.3390/jof9050561

Coccidioidal Pulmonary Cavitation: A New Age

J Fungi (Basel). 2023 May 12;9(5):561. doi: 10.3390/jof9050561.

Authors

Lovedip Kooner^{1

2}, Augustine Munoz^{1

2

3}, Austin Garcia^{1

2

3}, Akriti Kaur^{1

2

3}, Rupam Sharma^{1

2

3}, Virginia Bustamante^{1

2

3}, Vishal Narang^{1

2

3}, George R Thompson 3rd⁴, Rasha Kuran^{1

2

3}, Amir Berjis⁵, Royce H Johnson^{1

2

3}, Arash Heidari^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Kern Medical Center, Bakersfield, CA 93306, USA.
² Valley Fever Institute, Kern Medical Center, Bakersfield, CA 93306, USA.
³ Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
⁴ Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, UC-Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA.
⁵ Department of Surgery, Kern Medical Center, Bakersfield, CA 93306, USA.

Abstract

Coccidioides species are thermally dimorphic fungi found in geographically defined areas of the Western Hemisphere. The primary portal of entry is respiratory, with symptomatic pneumonic diseases as the most common presentation. Subsequent pulmonary complications as well as extrapulmonary metastatic infection may occur, either of which may be the presenting disease manifestation. Cavitary lung disease may be found incidentally or when investigating symptoms such as cough or hemoptysis. This study aims to explore the spectrum of coccidioidal cavities and the evaluation and management in a cohort of patients seen at Kern Medical over the last 12 years.

Keywords: cavitary; cavitation; cavity; coccidioidal; coccidioidomycosis; valley fever.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.