Coccidioidomycosis

Coccidioidis immitis is the coccidiomycosis, is C.immitis. This fungus exist  in the soils of endemic areas of the southwestern USA, Central America and  South America. Coccidioidomycosis a self limiting fungal disease in the San  Jaoquin Valley area of California has been known as “valley fever”. Athough  coccidioidomycoses has been well know fungal infection of man, nevertheless,  it has been reported in cattle (in arrested and localized form) (Beck, 1929, Beck  et al., 1931), sheep (Glitner 1918), dog (Smith, 1949, Reed, 1954) and equine  (Zontine, 1958). Coccidioidomycosis in wild rodents was reported for the  first time. Naturally occurring Coccidiomycosis was reported in 1918 and the  fungus was found in mediastinal and bronchial lymph nodes (Glitner 1918).  C.immitis is a dimorphic fungus. Spherule of this fungus is seen in infected  tissues. Barrel shaped Arthospores are formed in the mycelium. Arthospores  (asexual spores) germinate in the infected tissues to give rise to the spherule.  The thick walled spherule becomes thinner as the diameter increases from  about 15um to 75 um and at this stage the spherule bursts and releasing  hundreds of endospores each of which become a new spherule.