Glossary

Abscess - A localized collection of pus in bone, organs, or tissue. These can be caused by coccidioidomycosis.

Arizona flu - A synonym for coccidioidomycosis or Valley Fever.

Arthritis - Inflammation of joints. This painful ailment can be an unfortunate part of cocci.

Asymptomatic - Showing no signs of a disease. Cocci had been believed to be asymptomatic in 60% of infections, but more recent estimates show this happens in less than half of infections. The disease is also known to activate even in people who did not show symptoms earlier.

Bronchoscopy - A procedure used to help diagnose various diseases. When using a bronchoscopy for cocci testing and diagnosis, a fluid sample is taken from the lung to be cultured.

Cocci - Short for coccidioidomycosis (the illness) and sometimes used when referring to the fungi of the genus Coccidioides.

Coccidioides immitis - AKA C. immitis, the soil fungus that can become airborne in the San Joaquin Valley and other areas. C. immitis can infect mammals and cause coccidioidomycosis, the infection commonly known as Valley Fever.

Coccidioides posadasii - A species of Coccidioides fungus recognized in 2002, previously thought to be a variation of C. immitis. It is abbreviated as C. posadasii and sometimes nicknamed "Non-California C. immitis" due to its geographical distribution and its strong similarity to C. immitis. A newly recognized species of fungus related to C. immitis. This also causes Valley Fever.

Coccidioides - The genus of the fungal parasite that causes Valley Fever. When Coccidioides is used in a sentence, it can refer to all species from that genus.

Coccidioidomycosis - The medical name for the Valley Fever infection.

Conjunctivitis - Inflammation of the membrane of the eyelids and outer surface of the eye.

Costochondritis - A problem resulting in chest pain on one or both sides of the sternum that has been considered similar to pains caused by cocci in some patients.

Desert fever - A synonym for coccidioidomycosis or Valley Fever.

Desert rheumatism - A synonym for coccidioidomycosis or Valley Fever.

Dissemination - The process by which Valley Fever spreads from its primary site of infection (the lung) to other parts of the body through the bloodstream. Nearly any organ could be affected.

Eosinophils - White blood cells that respond to malignancies and parasitic infections. An unusually high presence of these cells, eosinophilia, can often be found in people with active Valley Fever infections.

Encephalitis - This is the inflammation of the brain itself, as opposed to its lining (the meninges). Encephalitis is sometimes called "Sleeping Sickness" because it creates a sense of apathy and abnormal sleepiness.

Endemic disease - A disease that is constantly present in a given area. See our history and map page for the known areas in the United States where the disease Valley Fever is endemic. The areas with fungal growth are clearly hit the hardest. It is also endemic in parts of Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Endemic region - In relation to Valley Fever, this is an area where Coccidioides grows in the soil. The wind can pick up and spread the spores.  People and animals can inhale those spores, and the resulting fungal infection is known as Valley Fever. See our history and map page for the areas in the United States where Coccidioides grows.

Endocarditis - Inflammation of the inner lining of the heart cavities.

Erythema nodosum - A problem frequently associated with coccidioidomycosis in women, featuring tender red nodules on the front of their legs.

Hepatitis - An inflammation of the liver. While there are some viral diseases that cause liver inflammation (Hepatitis A, B, and C, for example), Valley Fever can also inflame the liver and therefore can be a cause of hepatitis.

Histoplasmosis - Another disease like Valley Fever that is caused by an inhaled fungus and results in a lung infection with possibilities of disseminated illness. Like Valley Fever, it has no vaccine and no cure. This fungus is commonly found where bird or bat droppings have accumulated and can be inhaled (including near building ventilation systems). It is endemic in the soils of the Mississippi and Ohio River valleys, South America, Central America, France, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Far East. [Source: MDAinternet.com] Histoplasmosis, Blastomycosis, and other fungal ailments often produce similar symptoms to Valley Fever. These diseases do not have a vaccine either.

Hypercalcemia - An abnormally high amount of calcium in the blood. It can be life threatening. Sometimes Valley Fever is the cause of hypercalcemia.

Lesion - A localized structure of diseased or abnormal tissue, like blisters, ulcers, nodules, scabs, etc.

Meningitis - This is the inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord, the meninges. Although some forms of meningitis are contagious, meningitis from coccidioidomycosis is not. It is, however, considered the worst and most lethal type of cocci infection.

Myocarditis - Inflammation of the heart's walls.

Osteomyelitis - An inflammation of the bone by organisms causing a buildup of pus. It can spread from one bone to another or remain localized and may ultimately require limbs to be amputated due to the damage. Osteomyelitis is one of the most devastating conditions that can be caused by coccidioidomycosis.

Pleuritis - Inflammation of the membranes around the lung and the lung cavity.

Rift Valley Fever - A mosquito-borne virus that is native to the Middle East. Despite having "Valley Fever" in its name, it is not related to coccidioidomycosis.

Rheumatism - A painful inflammation that commonly affects muscles and joints but can go into organs such as the heart. Cocci has been known to cause rheumatism.

Septic shock - In Valley Fever, this is an underrecognized but serious fungal infection of the bloodstream that can result in decreased blood flow, organ failure, and death.

Symptoms - Signs of an illness.

Tenosynovitis - Inflammation of the tendon sheaths, causing joint pain.

Titer - A titer is a test to find how much dilution is required for a patient's blood serum not to show any Valley Fever antibodies. When a blood sample is taken, the serum (the clear part of the blood with white and red blood cells taken out) is mixed with a salt solution and then tested. If the VF test is positive (shows that cocci antibodies are still there) it is diluted by half again. This happens again and again until the cocci test is negative, meaning the serum is so diluted that no antibodies are present. A titer that is written as "1:8" is pronounced and sometimes written as "one to eight." To say someone has a titer of 1:8 means the mixture could be considered to be one-eighth serum and seven-eighths solution before the test could become negative. A titer is considered lower when it is less diluted (1:4 is lower than 1:8) and higher when it takes more solution (1:128 is higher than 1:32). Medical sources routinely consider titers of 1:8 and above to be serious or an indicator of disseminated disease. Dissemination is especially common above 1:16. Patients with high titers and dissemination are usually treated with antifungal medication. A low titer can mean the immune system isn't fighting very hard (either due to immune problems or the VF attack wasn't as severe as it could have been) and a high titer can mean your immune system was fighting very hard (indicating that the VF infection was severe or your immune system reacted strongly to it). Regardless of one's immune health, these antibodies are actually useless to help the body fight the disease. They are helpful in diagnosis because the antibodies are easier to spot in the blood than the fungus itself. Some people have no titers detectable even while the disease is at its worst (and even when they do not have a compromised immune system) and others may show high titers while they outwardly appear to be healthy. That said, the correlation of a high titer with severe Valley Fever is common and backed up by decades of medical research.

Valley Fever - A fungal infection caused by inhaling C. immitis or C. posadasii spores. It can frequently be characterized by flu-like symptoms, rashes, and joint pain, but has a huge list of other possible symptoms. This often makes it difficult to diagnose without testing. It can spread from its primary infection in the lungs to affect any part of the body. Coccidioidomycosis is the scientific name for Valley Fever and some of its nicknames are cocci, desert fever, desert rheumatism, California’s Disease, Posadas’ Disease, etc.

Vasculitis - Inflammation of blood or lymph vessels.

VF - Shorthand for Valley Fever

We have additional information in the answers to our Frequently Asked Questions, our Facts and Commentary page and our page of Common Misconceptions About Valley Fever.