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Pathogenesis of Coccidioidomycosis

  • Fungal Genomics and Pathogenesis (S Shoham, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic fungal infection endemic to the American Southwest, caused by Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii. The infection has a wide variety of clinical manifestations in humans, from asymptomatic infection to severe disease. Infection occurs through inhalation of fungal spores, leading to primary pulmonary infection and occasionally to hematogenous dissemination to other sites. Both fungal and host factors contribute to pathogenesis of this infection. Cellular and innate immune responses are involved in the protective response in both humans and mice. This review summarizes recent research on microbial and host factors involved in the pathogenesis of coccidioidomycosis.

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Compliance with Ethics Guidelines

Conflict of Interest

Neil M. Ampel and Susan E. Hoover declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1-111 SAVAHCS, 3601 S. Sixth Avenue, Tucson, AZ, 85723, USA

    Neil M. Ampel

  2. Sanford Health, 1205 S. Grange Ave. Suite 401, Sioux Falls, SD, 57105, USA

    Susan E. Hoover

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  1. Neil M. Ampel
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  2. Susan E. Hoover
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Correspondence to Susan E. Hoover.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Fungal Genomics and Pathogenesis

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Ampel, N.M., Hoover, S.E. Pathogenesis of Coccidioidomycosis. Curr Fungal Infect Rep 9, 253–258 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12281-015-0242-1

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