Coccidioidomycosis in animals

A broad diversity of animals is susceptible to infection by Coccidioides species. However severe or disseminated disease in animals other than pet dogs is not commonly reported in the literature. It is unclear if these cases are indeed rare or if they are not diagnosed and reported. The awareness of coccidioidomycosis is increasing in the Central Valley of California and southern Arizona, but outside of these areas the disease is not often diagnosed. Cases outside the endemic region frequently have delayed diagnosis, and as summarized here for many animals, the diagnosis was not made until after euthanasia. Frequently, a fungal infection is not considered as a primary cause of death or disease, in spite of the fact that hundreds of thousands of these infections occur every year. In the USA, coccidioidomycosis cases reported rival the number of cases of tuberculosis and Lyme disease. Considering that it is likely that only 10% of infections nationwide are reported, this disease has significant burden in the USA. Disease burden in the rest of the Americas remains unknown. Clearly, better diagnostics, effective treatments, and development of vaccines would greatly improve public health and reduce economic costs associated with coccidioidomycosis. Additionally, a great deal of work remains to fully understand the ecology and basic biology of the causative agent.