A wide range of mammals are susceptible to infection by the fungal species Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii. In humans, 60% of infections are asymptomatic; however, certain patients may develop a severe and deep systemic mycosis called coccidioidomycosis. Genetic analysis suggests that the majority of clinical isolates recovered from South America are C. posadasii; however, little is known about the prevalence, species distribution, and ecological factors that favor the occurrence of this pathogen in those areas. By using a combined quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based approach and mycobiome amplicon sequencing, we provide evidence that at least two genotypes of C. posadasii are found in the xerophytic environment in Venezuela. We detected a 3806-fold range in the amount of Coccidioides DNA when comparing among the sampled locations, which indicates that human exposure risk is variable, and is one critical factor for disease manifestation. We identified fungal communities that are correlated with a higher prevalence of C. posadasii, suggesting that a combination of specific microbes and a xeric microenvironment may favor the growth of Coccidioides in certain locations. Moreover, we discuss the use of a combinatorial approach, using both qPCR and deep-sequencing methods to assess and monitor fungal pathogen burden at outbreak sources.
O nchocerca lupi is a species of zoonotic, filarial nematode that causes onchocerciasis in dogs, cats, and humans. It was first described in 1967 in Georgia, then part of the USSR, in the periocular tissues of a wolf (Canis lupus lupus) (1) and has been reported in dogs (C. lupus domesticus). Since 2013, increased detection of O. lupi infections in dogs and humans in the United States and Europe has renewed interest in this parasite, its geographic distribution, and the range of its natural hosts (2). The geographic distribution and prevalence of the O. lupi nematode in the United States is unknown. US veterinarians are not required to report O. lupi infections in canines, making it difficult to identify the parasite's geographic distribution. The first documented case of O. lupi infection in the United States affected a dog in California in 1991 (3); since then, O. lupi infections have been reported in dogs, cats, and humans in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexi
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