LOS ANGELES (KNX) — A fungal infection caused by inhaling dust with fungus spores is making its way across the western states, with cases most recently seen in California, Washington, Oregon and Utah. Though valley fever has been around for decades, climate change is believed to be a cause behind cases rising 800% since 2000.
“Fortunately for the vast majority of people…it is a self resolving illness,” said Dr. Thomas Yadegar, who recently called in to KNX In Depth.
“But there’s about 10 to 15% where they can develop severe pneumonia…patients that are at most risk, our elderly, our immunocompromised…for them it can become a life-threatening illness.”
Two coccidioides fungi species cause valley fever, according to the Mayo Clinic. Both are commonly found in soil, meaning that the fungi’s spores can be released up into the air when the soil is disrupted and infection can be caused when that air is breathed in.
Symptoms of valley fever, which include fever, cough, tiredness, shortness of breath, chills and a red, spotty rash, typically show up between one and three weeks after the spores are breathed in, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Yadegar said many times, the first doctors who have contact with a patient may not diagnose valley fever right away, since its symptoms can be confused with other illnesses.
The pulmonologist and medical director of the Intensive Care Unit at Providence Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Tarzana, Calif. said disturbances like construction, wildfires and earthquakes can make the spores airborne. And as climate change continues, that may begin to happen more often.
“Unfortunately, with predicted longer wildfire seasons and patchy rain showers over the next several years it would be just logical to assume that we will have more of these ecologically-based infections,” Yadegar said.
In Merced, Calif., two graduate students are working to learn more about fungal infections and interactions with host immune systems.
The University of California Merced announced last week that Both Susana Tejeda-Garibay and Nadia Miranda earned prestigious research fellowships to further their work.
“I think examining microbial interactions is key for understanding patient outcome,” Tejeda-Garibay said.
“Not just in the Valley fever field, but at times, the immunology field neglects to look at multiple microbial interactions at once and how this impacts the host health.”
Tejeda-Garibay’s work, the university said in a statement, could give insight into the impact of treating fungal infections with antibiotics.
Why is climate changing causing worry?
Previously, valley fever infections were most commonly seen in the southwest. But, the new infections popping up in Washington, Oregon and Utah — combined with an increasing infection rate — both indicate that climate change is increasing the dangerous dust across the region, according to The Los Angeles Times.
“It’s emerging because we have increasing numbers, and it’s emerging because it’s being found in new areas,” Nancy Crum, a physician with Scripps Health System in San Diego, said in an interview with the newspaper.
“It’s a fungus in the soil, and so if you have really windy, dusty conditions, it can get from one area to the other.”
Crum recently published a review of valley fever in the Journal of Infectious Diseases and Therapy.
How to prevent infection
Speaking with KNX, Yadegar said there really isn’t a way to prevent getting the fungal infection. But you can prepare yourself for the signs and symptoms and act accordingly.
“I think the important thing is, if you do have symptoms and they are not resolving after the first five to seven days then it is important to seek attention,” he said.
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