Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) Case Data for the Southwestern United States

Gorris, Morgan E.; Cat, Linh Anh; Matlock, Melissa; Ogunseitan, Oladele A.; Treseder, Kathleen K.; Randerson, James T.; Zender, Charles S.

doi:10.5334/ohd.31

Cited by 5 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…To both estimate the contemporary levels of disease incidence and calculate a baseline cost estimate of the health impacts from valley fever, we used a valley fever case dataset previously compiled for the southwestern United States (Gorris et al 2018). This dataset included monthly, county-level cases for 2000-15 in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.…”

Section: A Valley Fever Case Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To estimate the current spatial extent of valley fever endemicity following Gorris et al (2019), we used surface temperature and precipitation data from the Precipitation-Elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM; Daly et al 2008), available as 4-km gridded products. We calculated county-level climate averages by spatially averaging the gridded PRISM climate data within each county using QGIS (https://www.qgis.org).…”

Section: Contemporary Climate Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Currently, the area endemic to valley fever is mostly limited to the southwestern United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CDC 2019a). However, increasing temperatures and shifts in precipitation patterns as a result of climate change (Hayhoe et al 2018) may broaden the endemic area, causing a northward expansion throughout much of the western United States (Gorris et al 2019). This expansion would put new communities at risk for contracting valley fever, potentially increasing the health and economic burdens from his disease.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A method was recently developed to estimate where valley fever may be endemic and the number of disease cases in response to climate change (Gorris et al 2019). This allowed for the first estimations of the future medical costs of valley fever solely based on hospitalization costs, but disregarded other direct and indirect costs of the disease as well as changes in human population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our analysis consisted of three steps. First, we used a previously constructed climate-constrained niche model (Gorris et al 2019) and downscaled climate projections to estimate the valley fever endemic area for years 2010, 2030, 2050, 2070, and 2090. Second, we used statistical relationships between contemporary precipitation, temperature, and a previously compiled valley fever incidence dataset, all for 2000-15, to create a predictive model of the number of valley fever cases within the counties we project to be endemic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Economic Valuation of Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) Projections in the United States in Response to Climate Change

Gorris

Neumann²,

Kinney

et al. 2021

Weather, Climate, and Society

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Coccidioidomycosis, or Valley fever, is an infectious fungal disease currently endemic to the southwestern United States. Symptoms of Valley fever range in severity from flu-like illness to severe morbidity and mortality. Warming temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns may cause the area of endemicity to expand northward throughout the western US, putting more people at risk for contracting Valley fever. This may increase the health and economic burdens from this disease. We developed an approach to describe the relationship between climate conditions and Valley fever incidence using historical data and generated projections of future incidence in response to both climate change and population trends using the Climate Change Impacts and Risk Analysis (CIRA) framework developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency. We also developed a methodology to estimate economic impacts of Valley fever based on case counts. For our 2000-2015 baseline time period, we estimated annual medical costs, lost income, and economic welfare losses for Valley fever in the US were $400,000 per case and the annual average total cost was $3.9 billion per year. For a high greenhouse gas emission scenario and accounting for population growth, we found that total annual costs for Valley fever may increase up to 164% by year 2050 and up to 380% by year 2090. By the end of the 21st century, Valley fever may cost $620,000 per case and the annual average total cost may reach $18.5 billion per year. This work contributes to the broader effort to monetize climate-change attributable damages in the US.

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Section: A Valley Fever Case Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Contemporary Climate Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Economic Valuation of Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) Projections in the United States in Response to Climate Change

Gorris

Neumann²,

Kinney

et al. 2021

Weather, Climate, and Society

Self Cite

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A Review of Coccidioides Research, Outstanding Questions in the Field, and Contributions by Women Scientists

Gorris

Dyke

Carey

et al. 2021

Curr Clin Micro Rpt

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Purpose of Review Coccidioidomycosis is an infectious disease that gained clinical significance in the early 20th century. Many of the foundational contributions to coccidioidomycosis research, including the discovery of the fungal disease agent, Coccidioides spp., were made by women. We review recent progress in Coccidioides research and big questions remaining in the field, while highlighting some of the contributions from women. Recent Findings New molecular-based techniques provide a promising method for detecting Coccidioides, which can help determine the dominate reservoir host and ideal environmental conditions for growth. Genetic and genomic analyses have allowed an understanding of population structure, species level diversity, and evolutionary histories. We present a current, comprehensive genome list, where women contributed many of these entries. Several efforts to develop a coccidioidomycosis vaccine are underway. Summary Women continue to pioneer research on Coccidioides, including the relationships between the fungi and the environment, genetics, and clinical observations. Significant questions remain in the field of Coccidioides, including the main host reservoir, the relationships between genotypic and phenotypic variation, and the underlying cause for chronic clinical coccidioidomycosis cases.

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Mouldy Planet: Fungi and One Health

Ogunseitan

Matlock²

2022

One Health Cases

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Summary Prevention of diseases caused by pathogenic fungi exemplifies the need for a One Health approach because a fungal species can cause similar disease in humans and animals and can survive long in the environment. This case study of coccidioidomycosis (valley fever) illustrates the power of integrative surveillance for One Health. Fungi belong to a taxonomically distinctive group of organisms that are among the most diverse, widely distributed and metabolically versatile organisms on earth. Physically, fungi range in size from microscopic yeasts, visible mould with colourful spores, and mushrooms, which may be larger than a human palm. Through their genetic profile and heterotrophy, fungi are more related to animals than to plants. Fungi can cause disease in humans, animals and plants, and they produce infectious forms such as lightweight spores, which can survive long in natural environments. Therefore, many diseases caused by pathogenic fungi are better understood and controlled through a transdisciplinary One Health approach. Fungi produce antibiotics such as penicillin, and they are also capable of developing resistance to many medications used to treat infections, making them a major threat to global health. This case study focuses on coccidioidomycosis (valley fever), an illness that develops from inhaling spores of the fungus Coccidioides imitis or Coccidioides posadasii , which are commonly found in soils of the south-western USA and in Central and South America, where the disease has been long recognized as a threat. Communities of people, pets and farm animals inhabiting periodically dry environmental conditions are particularly vulnerable, and investigators have suggested that the current incidence of the disease and the geographical expansion of zones of vulnerability are linked to climate change. 1 Improved understanding of the One Health context of valley fever should inform public communication strategies for preventing the disease.

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Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) Case Data for the Southwestern United States

Cited by 5 publications

References 6 publications

Economic Valuation of Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) Projections in the United States in Response to Climate Change

Economic Valuation of Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) Projections in the United States in Response to Climate Change

A Review of Coccidioides Research, Outstanding Questions in the Field, and Contributions by Women Scientists

Mouldy Planet: Fungi and One Health

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