TY - JOUR AU - Kim, Michelle M. AU - Blair, Janis E. AU - Carey, Elizabeth J. AU - Wu, Qing AU - Smilack, Jerry D. T1 - Coccidioidal Pneumonia, Phoenix, Arizona, USA, 2000–2004 T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2009 VL - 15 IS - 3 SP - 397 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) often results in severe illness and death. In large, geographically defined areas where Coccidioides spp. are endemic, coccidioidomycosis is a recognized cause of CAP, but its frequency has not been studied extensively. To determine the frequency of patients with coccidioidomycosis, we conducted a prospective evaluation of 59 patients with CAP in the Phoenix, Arizona, area. Of 35 for whom paired coccidioidal serologic testing was performed, 6 (17%) had evidence of acute coccidioidomycosis. Coccidioidal pneumonia was more likely than noncoccidioidal CAP to produce rash. The following were not found to be risk factors or reliable predictors of infection: demographic features, underlying medical conditions, duration of time spent in disease-endemic areas, occupational and recreational activities, initial laboratory studies, and chest radiography findings. Coccidioidomycosis is a common cause of CAP in our patient population. In the absence of distinguishing clinical features, coccidioidal pneumonia can be identified only with appropriate laboratory studies. KW - Coccidiodomycosis KW - Coccidioides KW - mycoses KW - pneumonia KW - bacterial KW - research KW - Arizona KW - USA KW - United States DO - 10.3201/eid1503.081007 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/15/3/08-1007_article ER - End of Reference