Volume 16, Number 2—February 2010 Coccidioidomycosis among
Scholarship Athletes and Other College Students, Arizona, USA1
To compare coccidioidomycosis case rates among groups of young
adults in a disease-endemic region, we reviewed medical charts
for serologic testing and coding. Case rates were higher for
scholarship athletes than for other students and paralleled 5×
more serologic testing. Our findings underscore the need to
routinely test patients for coccidioidomycosis.
Coccidioidomycosis, known commonly as valley fever, is a fungal
infection endemic to the southwestern United States (1). The
illness most commonly caused is community-acquired pneumonia
(2,3). Some researchers estimate that ≈50,000 infections are
severe enough to warrant medical attention (1,4); however,
reported infections represent less than a quarter of this
estimate, creating uncertainty about the true impact of valley
fever. Scholarship athletes receive financial support for their
educations in return for participation in intercolleg