Valley Fever

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• No links available

See, Play and Learn

• No links available

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Valley Fever is a disease caused by a fungus (or mold) called Coccidioides. The fungi live in the soil of dry areas like the southwestern U.S. You get it from inhaling the spores of the fungus. The infection cannot spread from person to person.

Anyone can get Valley Fever. But it's most common among older adults, especially those 60 and older. People who have recently moved to an area where it occurs are at highest risk for infection. Other people at higher risk include:

• Workers in jobs that expose them to soil dust. These include construction workers, agricultural workers, and military forces doing field training.
• African Americans and Asians
• Women in their third trimester of pregnancy
• People with weak immune systems

Valley Fever is often mild, with no symptoms. If you have symptoms, they may include a flu-like illness, with fever, cough, headache, rash, and muscle aches. Most people get better within several weeks or months. A small number of people may develop a chronic lung or widespread infection.

Valley Fever is diagnosed by testing your blood, other body fluids, or tissues. Many people with the acute infection get better without treatment. In some cases, doctors may prescribe antifungal drugs for acute infections. Severe infections require antifungal drugs.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Start Here

• About Valley Fever (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Valley Fever (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Symptoms of Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Fungal Culture Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Tests for Lung Disease (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Reducing Risk for Valley Fever (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Treatments and Therapies

• Treatment of Valley Fever (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Statistics and Research

• Facts and Stats about Valley fever (Coccidioidomycosis) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Coccidioidomycosis (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Valley fever under a changing climate in the United States.
• Article: In vitro small molecule screening to inform novel candidates for use...
• Article: Evaluation of nikkomycin Z with frequent oral administration in an experimental...
• Valley Fever -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Also in Spanish
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Patient Handouts

• Coccidioides complement fixation (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Coccidioides precipitin test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• CSF coccidioides complement fixation (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Valley fever (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish