1 coccidioidomycosis | Definition of coccidioidomycosis

coccidioidomycosis

noun
coc路​cid路​i路​oi路​do路​my路​co路​sis | \ (藢)k盲k-藢si-d膿-藢券i-d艒-(藢)m墨-藞k艒-s蓹s How to pronounce coccidioidomycosis (audio) \

Definition of coccidioidomycosis

: a disease especially of humans and domestic animals that is caused by inhalation of spores from either of two fungi (Coccidioides immitis or C. posadasii) found in dry soils of the southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Central America and that may be asymptomatic or present as a mild to serious flu-like illness marked chiefly by fever, cough, sore throat, headache, fatigue, and pneumonia but sometimes becoming disseminated beyond the lungs especially to the skin, bones, joints, and meninges resulting in painful lesions, swollen joints, or meningitis

called also cocci, San Joaquin fever, San Joaquin valley fever, valley fever

Examples of coccidioidomycosis in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Detection is important because valley fever, also known by its scientific name coccidioidomycosis, can be successfully treated with antifungal medications. Stephanie Innes, azcentral, "Cases of valley fever in Arizona are up in 2019. Here's what you need to know," 10 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coccidioidomycosis.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of coccidioidomycosis

1937, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for coccidioidomycosis

New Latin, from Coccidioides, genus of fungi (from coccidium) + mycosis

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More Definitions for coccidioidomycosis

coccidioidomycosis

noun
coc路​cid路​i路​oi路​do路​my路​co路​sis | \ (藢)k盲k-藢sid-膿-藢券id-艒-(藢)m墨-藞k艒-s蓹s How to pronounce coccidioidomycosis (audio) \
variants: also coccidiomycosis \ (藢)k盲k-​藢sid-​膿-​艒-​(藢)m墨-​藞k艒-​s蓹s How to pronounce coccidiomycosis (audio) \
plural coccidioidomycoses\ -​藢s膿z How to pronounce coccidioidomycoses (audio) \

Medical Definition of coccidioidomycosis

: a disease of humans and domestic animals that is caused by inhalation of arthroconidia from either of two fungi of the genus Coccidioides (Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii) found in dry soils of the southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Central America and that may be asymptomatic or present as a mild to serious flu-like illness marked chiefly by fever, cough, sore throat, headache, fatigue, and pneumonia but sometimes becoming disseminated beyond the lungs especially to the skin, bones, joints, and meninges resulting in painful lesions, swollen joints, or meningitis Early symptoms of the disease, which is clinically known as coccidioidomycosis, mimic the flu, with symptoms that include a cough, lethargy, and fever, most of those who become infected recover with little or no treatment and are subsequently immune. In about 2 percent to 3 percent of the cases, the disease spreads from the lungs and can attack the bones, liver, spleen, and skin.— Jesse McKinley, The Boston Globe, 30 Dec. 2007 Coccidioidomycosis is transmitted through inhalation of the sporelike arthroconidia, which is easily aerosolized when dry soil is disturbed. In Arizona, the peak incidence of disease occurs during the hot, dry summer months and again in October when a dry spell follows late-summer rains.— William A. Kormos et al., The New England Journal of Medicine, 18 Nov. 2010

called also cocci, San Joaquin fever, San Joaquin valley fever, valley fever

More from Merriam-Webster on coccidioidomycosis

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about coccidioidomycosis