Coccidioidomycosis

Coccidioidomycosis is an infectious disease caused by inhaling spores of a fungus called Coccidioides immitis. The disease starts out as a respiratory illness and may progress to a continual infection. Coccidioidomycosis that spreads throughout the body (disseminated) is the most severe form of the disease and is often fatal. C. immitis grows in arid (dry) and semiarid areas of the Western Hemisphere. In the U.S., this range extends from California to southern Texas, and includes parts of Utah.