• Home

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)

Toggle: English / Spanish

Coccidioidomycosis

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Coccidiosis; San Joaquin Valley fever; Valley fever

Treatment:

The acute disease almost always goes away without treatment. Bedrest and treatment of flu-like symptoms until fever disappears may be recommended.

Disseminated or severe disease should be treated with amphotericin B, ketoconazole, fluconazole, or itraconazole.

Expectations (prognosis):

The outcome in acute disease is likely to be good. With treatment, for chronic or severe disease, the outcome is usually good (although relapses may occur). People with disseminated disease have a high death rate.

Complications:

• Pleural effusion
• Relapse of infection
• Spread of the infection throughout the body
• Complications from medications. In particular, amphotericin B may cause fever, chills, and nausea while it is being given, and may cause abnormal kidney tests after many doses.

Calling your health care provider:

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if symptoms of coccidioidomycosis develop.

References:

Chiller TM. Coccidioidomycosis. Infect Dis Clin North Am . 2003; 17(1): 41-57, viii.

Murray J, Nadel J. Textbook of Respiratory Medicine . 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: WB Saunders; 2000.

Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases . 5th ed. London, UK: Churchill Livingstone; 2000:2746-2755.

Galgiani JN, Ampel N, Blair JE, et al. Coccidioidomycosis. Clin Infect Dis . 2005;41:1217-23.

• Review Date: 10/9/2006
• Reviewed By: D. Scott Smith, M.D., MSc, DTM&H, Chief of Infectious Disease & Geographic Medicine, Kaiser Redwood City, CA & Adjunct Assistant Professor, Stanford University. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process . A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 1997-2007 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.