Royce H. Johnson

Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Coccidioidomycosis

Management of patients diagnosed with coccidioidomycosis involves defining the extent of infection and assessing host factors that predispose to disease severity. Patients with relatively localized acute pulmonary infections and no risk factors for complications often require only periodic reassessment to demonstrate resolution of their self-limited process. On the other hand, patients with extensive spread of infection or at high risk of complications because of immunosuppression or other preexisting factors require a variety of treatment strategies that may include antifungal therapy, surgical debridement, or both. Amphotericin B is often selected for treatment of patients with respiratory failure due to Coccidioides immitis or rapidly progressive coccidioidal infections. With other more chronic manifestations of coccidioidomycosis, treatment with fluconazole, itraconazole, or ketoconazole is common. Duration of therapy often ranges from many months to years, and, for some patients, chronic suppressive therapy is needed to prevent relapses.

Risk Factors for Severe Pulmonary and Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis: Kern County, California, 1995–1996

Surveillance for coccidioidomycosis (CM) and a case-control study for risk factors among adults were conducted in Kern County, California. From January 1995 through December 1996, 905 cases of CM were identified, for an annual incidence of 86 cases per 100,000 population. A total of 380 adults were enrolled in the case-control study: 77 had severe pulmonary disease, 33 had disseminated disease, and 270 control patients had mild disease. Independent risk factors for severe pulmonary disease included diabetes, recent history of cigarette smoking, income of <

Safety, Tolerance, and Efficacy of Posaconazole Therapy in Patients with Nonmeningeal Disseminated or Chronic Pulmonary Coccidioidomycosis

15,000 per year, and older age. Oral antifungal therapy before hospitalization was associated with a reduced risk of CM pneumonia. Risk factors for disseminated disease were black race, income of <

2016 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Coccidioidomycosis

15,000 per year, and pregnancy. Early treatment of CM with oral antifungal agents may prevent severe pulmonary disease in groups considered to be at high risk, such as elderly individuals, persons with diabetes, and smokers. Persons at risk for severe CM may benefit from vaccination once an effective CM vaccine is available.

Eosinophilic pleocytosis in coccidioidal meningitis: Frequency and significance

BACKGROUND Coccidioidomycosis can be difficult to treat with available therapies, particularly in patients with progressive or disseminated disease. Posaconazole is a new azole antifungal with potent activity against Coccidioides species, the causative agent of coccidioidomycosis. METHODS Twenty patients with chronic pulmonary or nonmeningeal disseminated coccidioidomycosis were enrolled in a multicenter trial to study the safety and tolerability of posaconazole therapy, with efficacy as a secondary end point. Patients received posaconazole (400 mg/day) in capsule formulation for up to 6 months. Safety was evaluated on the basis of the occurrence of adverse events. A satisfactory efficacy response was defined as a >or=50% reduction in the Mycoses Study Group score from baseline. RESULTS Seventeen (85%) of 20 patients had a satisfactory response to treatment. The median duration of treatment was 173 days. Paired baseline and end-of-treatment culture results for Coccidioides species were available for 4 patients, all of whom converted from being positive to being negative for Coccidioides species. Relapse was experienced by 3 of 9 patients who did not receive antifungal therapy during the follow-up period. In general, posaconazole therapy was well tolerated, with 12 of 20 patients reporting adverse events that were possibly or probably related to treatment. The most common adverse events were dry mouth (in 5 patients [25%]) and headache (in 3 patients [15%]). CONCLUSIONS Courses of posaconazole therapy that were up to 6 months in duration were well tolerated in patients with coccidioidomycosis. Although this study was limited by the number of patients enrolled, it clearly demonstrates that posaconazole shows promise in the treatment of patients with coccidioidomycosis and warrants additional investigation in a full-scale clinical trial.

Amphotericin B and coccidioidomycosis

It is important to realize that guidelines cannot always account for individual variation among patients. They are not intended to supplant physician judgment with respect to particular patients or special clinical situations. Infectious Diseases Society of America considers adherence to these guidelines to be voluntary, with the ultimate determination regarding their application to be made by the physician in the light of each patients individual circumstances.Coccidioidomycosis, also known as San Joaquin Valley fever, is a systemic infection endemic to parts of the southwestern United States and elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere. Residence in and recent travel to these areas are critical elements for the accurate recognition of patients who develop this infection. In this practice guideline, we have organized our recommendations to address actionable questions concerning the entire spectrum of clinical syndromes. These can range from initial pulmonary infection, which eventually resolves whether or not antifungal therapy is administered, to a variety of pulmonary and extrapulmonary complications. Additional recommendations address management of coccidioidomycosis occurring for special at-risk populations. Finally, preemptive management strategies are outlined in certain at-risk populations and after unintentional laboratory exposure.

Coccidioidomycosis in pregnancy during an epidemic in California

PURPOSE Coccidioidal meningitis (CM) is a major source of morbidity and mortality in endemic regions. The diagnosis of CM is a clinical challenge. Eosinophilic pleocytosis (EP) is an uncommon finding and present in a relatively limited number of conditions. In order to determine the frequency and the prognostic significance of EP in CM, we conducted the present study. PATIENTS AND METHODS Retrospective chart review of all patients diagnosed as having CM between 1986 and 1991 at Kern Medical Center. All patients had clinical and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings confirmatory of CM. RESULTS Nineteen patients (70%) in the study group had EP, and of these, 8 patients (30%) met the criteria for eosinophilic meningitis (greater than or equal to 10 eosinophils/mm3). No correlation was found between EP and age, sex, race, results of complement fixation test for coccidioidal antigen in CSF or serum, peripheral eosinophilia, or outcome. CONCLUSION The presence of EP is a frequent observation in CM. Although we did not demonstrate any prognostic correlation with EP, this finding is of major diagnostic significance and its presence should bring attention to the diagnosis of CM.

Hypercalcemia in patients with disseminated coccidioidomycosis

Abstract:  Prior to the 1950s no effective therapy for coccidioidomycosis existed. The advent of amphotericin B ushered in the therapeutic era for coccidioidomycosis. Until this time amphotericin B and its lipid congeners have been regarded as the “gold standard” of therapy for severe pulmonary and disseminated coccidioidomycosis. The availability of azoles and later triazoles for the past three decades have relegated the amphotericins into a rescue mode, used mainly in widely disseminated cases, azole intolerance, or when there are contraindications to Azoles, such as pregnancy. In meningitis the intrathecal use of amphotericin B is still used frequently by some clinicians alone or with a triazole. The newer lipid preparations, while more expensive, have significantly reduced toxicity, particularly nephropathy.

Executive Summary: 2016 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Coccidioidomycosis.

Objective To determine presentation, clinical course, and outcome of a cohort of pregnant women with coccidioidomycosis and compare findings with common observations reported in the literature. Methods Thirty-two women who delivered live infants or aborted fetuses in 1993 and had confirmed diagnoses of coccidioidomycosis were included in the study. Medical records were evaluated retrospectively for clinical characteristics, laboratory results, and disease course. Results Dissemination occurred in three of 32 cases. The most common management was supportive and symptomatic care. At 1 year, 26 of 32 had recovered. There were no maternal deaths. Conclusion The common depiction of coccidioidomycosis in pregnancy has overstated morbidity and mortality likely because of reporting bias. Many women will have favorable outcomes without drug treatment, and the practice of abortions or early delivery in subjects with active infection should be rare.

Call for a California coccidioidomycosis consortium to face the top ten challenges posed by a recalcitrant regional disease.

Objective: Granulomatous disorders may be associated with hypercalcemia. In sarcoidosis, the pathogenesis of hypercalcemia has been clarified, whereas in other granulomatous disorders, such as coccidioidomycosis, the mechanism is unclear. We present 13 patients with coccidioidomycosis and hypercalcemia to illustrate the clinical course and the mechanism of hypercalcemia. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all patients admitted to Kern Medical Center, a 270‐bed public hospital, from 1990 through 1997 with coccidioidomycosis and a serum calcium level of greater than 10.5 mg/dL on at least 3 occasions. In addition, no other causes for hypercalcemia were identified. Results: The mean highest serum calcium level was 12.7 ± 1.8 mg/dL. All patients had disseminated disease. Six patients were nonambulatory and 4 had bone involvement. Of the 9 patients in whom parathyroid hormone was measured, it was normal in 6 and suppressed in 3. Of the 9 patients in whom 25‐hydroxyvitamin D was measured, it was normal in 6, suppressed in 2, and elevated in 1. Of the 7 patients in whom 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D was measured, it was normal in 3 and suppressed in 4. Urinary calcium was elevated in 2 patients, both of whom were ambulatory. Nonambulatory patients had significantly higher serum calcium levels (14.3 ± 1.0 mg/dL) than ambulatory patients (11.3 ± 0.46 mg/dL) (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The mechanism of hypercalcemia in coccidioidomycosis is unrelated to increased production of 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D. Nonambulatory status is associated with higher mean serum calcium.