Distance from Construction Site and Risk for Coccidioidomycosis, Arizona, USA

Blair, Janis E.; Chang, Yu Hui; Ruiz, Yvette; Duffy, Stacy; B, Heinrich; Lake, Douglas F.

doi:10.3201/eid2009.131588

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Male gender is a risk factor among humans, possibly reflecting increased rates of outdoor activities among men as well as hormonal differences that may stimulate the growth of the fungus (Brown et al., ). Hospitalization rates for men were twice that of women in California (Sondermeyer et al., ), but a cohort study that examined the connection between exposure to construction sites and coccidioidomycosis found no difference between the rates of infection in men and women (Blair et al., ). The P value approached, but did not reach significance for a male gender predisposition in our study, and no sex predisposition was found in a study of dogs with coccidioidomycosis from Arizona (Butkiewicz et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Factors and Spatial Distribution of Canine Coccidioidomycosis in California, 2005-2013

Grayzel

Martínez‐López

Sykes

2016

Transbound Emerg Dis

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Given the predisposition of dogs to coccidioidomycosis, identification of high-risk regions for coccidioidomycosis in dogs may improve early recognition of emerging human disease. We sought to identify risk factors for canine coccidioidomycosis and to produce a risk map for coccidioidomycosis occurrence. Forty-one dogs seen at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis, between 2005 and 2013 with coccidioidomycosis were identified together with a control population of 79 dogs. Owners were surveyed about potential risk factors including younger age, digging behaviour, and travel to Arizona or the California central valley. Risk factors were analysed using logistic regression analysis. Outcomes were used to generate a risk map for coccidioidomycosis in California. There was a significant correlation between the reported rate of coccidioidomycosis in humans and our risk map for canine coccidioidomycosis in California, supporting the idea of dogs as sentinels for emerging geographic areas for coccidioidomycosis in humans.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Factors and Spatial Distribution of Canine Coccidioidomycosis in California, 2005-2013

Grayzel

Martínez‐López

Sykes

2016

Transbound Emerg Dis

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“…Soybean rust, for instance, has been correlated with incoming dust storms 46 . Valley Fever outbreaks in the Southwest of US is thought to be caused by dust storms carrying a fungal pathogen, Coccidioides immitis 47 . Desert storms in sub-Saharan Africa have also been linked to outbreaks of a deadly bacterium, Neisseria meningitides, affecting 26 countries and more than 300 million people.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Desert storms in sub-Saharan Africa have also been linked to outbreaks of a deadly bacterium, Neisseria meningitides, affecting 26 countries and more than 300 million people. This same region, also called "the Meningitis belt" 47 , is also prone to epidemics such as malaria. Interestingly, we measured a strong DNA signature of Tetrahymena (first flight day at 10,000 ft), a ciliated protozoan typically found in aquatic ecosystems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sierra Nevada sweep: metagenomic measurements of bioaerosols vertically distributed across the troposphere

Jaing

Thissen

Morrison

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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To explore how airborne microbial patterns change with height above the Earth's surface, we flew NASA's C-20A aircraft on two consecutive days in June 2018 along identical flight paths over the US Sierra Nevada mountain range at four different altitudes ranging from 10,000 ft to 40,000 ft. Bioaerosols were analyzed by metagenomic DnA sequencing and traditional culturing methods to characterize the composition and diversity of atmospheric samples compared to experimental controls. The relative abundance of taxa changed significantly at each altitude sampled, and the diversity profile shifted across the two sampling days, revealing a regional atmospheric microbiome that is dynamically changing. the most proportionally abundant microbial genera were Mycobacterium and Achromobacter at 10,000 ft; Stenotrophomonas and Achromobacter at 20,000 ft; Delftia and Pseudoperonospora at 30,000 ft; and Alcaligenes and Penicillium at 40,000 ft. Culturebased detections also identified viable Bacillus zhangzhouensis, Bacillus pumilus, and Bacillus spp. in the upper troposphere. to estimate bioaerosol dispersal, we developed a human exposure likelihood model (7-day forecast) using general aerosol characteristics and measured meteorological conditions. By coupling metagenomics to a predictive atmospheric model, we aim to set the stage for field campaigns that monitor global bioaerosol emissions and impacts. Aerosols (mostly desert dust, black carbon and ocean spray) regularly disperse across the Pacific Ocean with springtime atmospheric winds-in fact, models suggest that as much as 64 Teragrams of Asian aerosols can be transported to North America annually 1. Past studies have reported microorganisms co-transported with globally-dispersed aerosols, and that both DNA signatures and viable cells can be detected in air masses 2-4. For example, thousands of taxonomic signatures were measured in springtime Asian dust plumes delivering free tropospheric bioaerosols to an alpine research station in central Oregon 3. In a separate flight project surveying airborne microorganisms in the western region of the United States, several taxa were found to be enriched in the upper atmosphere, including bacterial families Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae 2. Despite harsh conditions in the atmosphere, viable bacterial isolates were recovered from the same study 2 , including Bacillus sp., Micrococcus sp., Arthrobacter sp. and Staphylococcus sp. Previous aerobiology campaigns using aircraft were flown at single altitudes in order to refine collection methods and demonstrate some of the first measurements of an atmospheric microbiome 2,5-7. To date, there are only a few studies that have examined microbiological changes across a vertical gradient in Earth's troposphere 8-10. More studies using advanced genomic techniques such as shotgun metagenomic sequencing will be essential to formulating predictive models of bioaerosols and how the atmospheric microbiome is influenced by meteorological

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“…More than half of the coccidioidomycosis outbreaks we reviewed were associated with occupational exposure, often related to soil-disrupting activities. The association between coccidioidomycosis and these activities, specifically construction, is often described, although evidence from a nonoutbreak setting in Arizona suggests that exposure working near a construction site does not always appear to be associated with increased risk for coccidioidomycosis ( 32 ). In general, workers who disrupt soil in areas to which the fungus is endemic are believed to be at higher risk than the general population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coccidioidomycosis Outbreaks, United States and Worldwide, 1940–2015

Freedman¹,

Jackson²,

McCotter³

et al. 2018

Emerg. Infect. Dis.

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Coccidioidomycosis causes substantial illness and death in the United States each year. Although most cases are sporadic, outbreaks provide insight into the clinical and environmental features of coccidioidomycosis, high-risk activities, and the geographic range of Coccidioides fungi. We identified reports published in English of 47 coccidioidomycosis outbreaks worldwide that resulted in 1,464 cases during 1940–2015. Most (85%) outbreaks were associated with environmental exposures; the 2 largest outbreaks resulted from an earthquake and a large dust storm. More than one third of outbreaks occurred in areas where the fungus was not previously known to be endemic, and more than half of outbreaks involved occupational exposures. Coccidioidomycosis outbreaks can be difficult to detect and challenging to prevent given the unknown effectiveness of environmental control methods and personal protective equipment; therefore, increased awareness of coccidioidomycosis outbreaks is needed among public health professionals, healthcare providers, and the public.

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Distance from Construction Site and Risk for Coccidioidomycosis, Arizona, USA

Abstract: Working adjacent to a project involving excavation of desert soil did not increase the risk for infection.

Cited by 11 publications

References 22 publications

Risk Factors and Spatial Distribution of Canine Coccidioidomycosis in California, 2005-2013

Risk Factors and Spatial Distribution of Canine Coccidioidomycosis in California, 2005-2013

Sierra Nevada sweep: metagenomic measurements of bioaerosols vertically distributed across the troposphere

Coccidioidomycosis Outbreaks, United States and Worldwide, 1940–2015

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