Coccidioides fungi drive 800% rise in valley fever cases
Updated
Updated · BBC Discover Wildlife · May 11
Coccidioides fungi drive 800% rise in valley fever cases
13 articles · Updated · BBC Discover Wildlife · May 11
The increase occurred in the US between 2000 and 2011 as dust storms rose 240%, with about 10,000 cases now reported annually, mostly in Arizona and California.
Around 70% of cases are in Arizona; about 160 people die each year. Most exposed people do not fall ill, but some suffer lasting lung damage or severe spread to the brain and spinal cord.
Experts link stronger, more frequent dust storms and shifting fungal ranges to climate change, with farm and construction workers at higher risk and other airborne fungi such as Aspergillus also raising concern.
As deadly fungal spores spread north, which US state could become the next unexpected hotspot for infections like Valley Fever?
These spores can seed clouds. Could we one day harness 'fungus storms' for weather control, or is the health risk too great?
With current drugs failing, will new experimental treatments be enough to stop the rise of these climate-driven superbug fungi?