Increase in Coccidioidomycosis - California, 2000-2007

Abstract

Coccidioidomycosis is an infection resulting from inhalation of airborne spores of Coccidioides immitis or Coccidioides posadasii, soil-dwelling fungi endemic to California's San Joaquin Valley; southern regions of Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico; western Texas; and regions of Mexico and Central and South America. Of an estimated 150,000 new infections annually in the United States, approximately 60% are asymptomatic. Patients with symptoms usually experience a self-limited influenza-like illness (ILI), although some develop severe pneumonia. Fewer than 1% of patients develop disseminated disease. Infection usually produces immunity to reinfection. During 1995--2000, the number of reported coccidioidomycosis cases in California averaged 2.5 per 100,000 population annually. However, from 2000 to 2006, the incidence rate more than tripled, increasing from 2.4 to 8.0 per 100,000 population. To characterize this increase, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) analyzed case and hospitalization data for the period 2000--2007 and preliminary case report data for 2008. The results indicated that, during 2000--2006, the number of reported cases and hospitalizations for coccidioidomycosis in California increased each year, before decreasing in 2007. Annual incidence during 2000--2007 was highest in Kern County (150.0 cases per 100,000 population), and the hospitalization rate was highest among non-Hispanic blacks, increasing from 3.0 to 7.5 per 100,000 population. Health-care providers should maintain heightened suspicion for coccidioidomycosis in patients who live or have traveled in areas where the disease is endemic and who have signs of ILI, pneumonia, or disseminated infection.