Southwestern Valley Fever Could Spread to the Brain and Affect White Matter

Valley Fever (coccidioidomycosis) is a lung infection caused by breathing in spores from the Coccidioides  fungus. This fungus primarily lives in the soil in some areas in the Southwestern United States and can be stirred into the air by farming, construction or wind. Valley Fever is contracted when these disturbed spores are ingested through breathing. Symptoms of the disease include flu like symptoms and usually occur one to three weeks after exposure to the fungus. Symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath, headache, body aches, chills, and a red spotty rash on the lower legs but occasionally on the chest arms and back. Usually, people who get sick with valley fever recover on their own, but now there is a new twist to this disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that between 10,000 and 20,000 cases of Valley fever are reported each year in the United States. In 2022, 17,612 cases were reported.