Environmental Variability and Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever)

Korine N. Kolivras, Peter S. Johnson, Andrew C. Comrie, and Stephen R. Yool

This article appears in Aerobiologia 17 (1):31-42, March 2001. The full text of the article is available online through Kluwer Academic Publishers (many libraries and institutions have subscriptions to this service).

Abstract

Coccidioidomycosis (valley fever) is a disease endemic to arid regions in the western hemisphere, and is caused by the soil-dwelling fungus Coccidioides immitis (C. immitis). In this paper, we provide an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding valley fever and C. immitis as related to climatic conditions and habitat requirements. Previous research shows there is a relationship between temperature and precipitation, and outbreaks of coccidioidomycosis. Incidence of the disease varies seasonally as well as annually due to changing climactic conditions. However, the specific environmental conditions that may produce an outbreak of coccidioidomycosis are not well understood in space and time. Previous studies have attempted to characterize C. immitis' habitat. Temperature, moisture, salinity, and pH of the soil have all been considered separately in the geographic distribution of the fungus. Medical and proactive intervention are served best, however, by an integrative strategy that folds climate and surface variables into spatially-explicit models. We conclude with recommendations for future research directions.

Keywords

Climate and health; Spatial variability; Temporal variability; Coccidioidomycosis; Coccidioides immitis; Valley fever; Infectious disease; Southwest United States; Environmental modeling; Disease mapping

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