Coccidioidomycosis Cases on the Rise in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Utah

According to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) coccidiodomycosis cases have risen a significant amount in the United States since 1998.

Coccidioidomycosis is an infection caused by inhalation of Coccidioides spp spores. The fungus is endemic in dry regions of the southwestern United States, and is often referred to as "Valley Fever,"  since the disease usually causes flulike symptoms that are self-limited. However, some patients experience severe or chronic pulmonary disease, and disseminated disease occurs in fewer than 1 percent.

"Health-care providers should be aware of this increasingly common infection when treating persons with influenza-like illness or pneumonia who live in or have traveled to endemic areas," according to the CDC.

The CDC National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System indicated a increase of the disease in four states, including Arizona, California, New Mexico and Utah, from 5.3 per 100,000 population in 1998 to 42.6 per 100,000 in 2011.

During this time, nearly 112,00 cases of coccidioidomycosis were reported from 28 states and Washington, DC, but only 1% came from states other than the 4 endemic states, according to Medscape Today.

The incidence was highest among people aged 40 to 59 years in California, but in the other 3 endemic states, it was greatest among those aged 60 and older.

While the reasons for the increase are not clear, environmental changes to the soil in which the Coccidiodes spores resides, could cause changes in human health.

"Therefore, promoting increased community and health-care provider awareness of this infection continues to be an important role for public health officials," the CDC says.

The findings were published March 29 in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.