Valley fever (coccidiomycosis)

January 2007     View PDF
Reprinted from University of Arizona’s Valley Fever Center for Excellence, US

What is Valley Fever?

Valley Fever (medical name coccidioidomycosis or “cocci” for short) is an infection in the lungs caused by a fungus (scientific name Coccidioides immitis) that grows in the soil in the southern and central portions of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and the southern portions of Nevada and Utah. Valley Fever is also found in parts of Mexico, Central and South America. These areas where the fungus grows in the soil are called endemic.