Coccidioides:Most common sites of dissemination

• skin

• bones and joints

• meninges: coccimeningitis without treatment has a 1-year mortality rate of 100%

T cells are important for immunity

• when it was available, positive skin test was a good prognostic sign. the test is no longer performed

• transplant, chemo rx, and AIDS predispose to disseminated disease

• in mice, T cells transfer immunity

Is a Th1 immune response required?

• high titers of antibody (higher than 1:16) are associated with poor prognosis in people

• exogenous IL-12 improves outcomes in mice

• IL-10 knockout mice are more resistant to infection

Coccidioidomycosis at Lemoore US Naval Air Station, 1961 to 1977

• African-Americans and Filipinos are at a high risk for disseminated cocci

• similarly, some mice strains are more susceptible

Category: Microbiology Notes