coccidioidosis, a disease of man and animals caused by the pathogenic fungus Coccidioides immitus and belonging to the mycosis group. It is prevalent in the countries of America (USA, Argentina, and Mexico), but rare in Europe and the USSR.
Soil is the natural reservoir of the fungus. A person becomes infected after inhaling dried exospores, which are highly volatile. The disease is not transmitted by a sick person or animal. Its clinical course may resemble that of influenza, rheumatism, or erythema nodosum, and it is accompanied by elevated body temperature, general malaise, and so forth. It strikes the lungs, skin (formation of deep infiltrates), central nervous system, and bones most often. Treatment calls for antibiotics, surgical removal of affected tissues, and supporting therapy.
Under natural conditions, cattle, sheep, dogs, kangaroos, squirrels, monkeys, rabbits, and other animals are also susceptible to coccidioidomycosis. The incidence is highest in a dry summer and fall, lowest in winter and spring. In cattle, it is chronic, benign, and asymptomatic. Dissection reveals the presence of a granulomatous process in the thoracic lymph nodes. In dogs, the disease is malignant and progressive and involves various organs and tissues. The diagnosis is based on laboratory tests. There are no radical methods of controlling coccidioidomycosis of animals. It is recommended that the animals in affected regions be examined and slaughtered if they react to the allergen. Diseased dogs are destroyed.
N. A. SPESIVTSEVA