This can take the form of chronic lung infection or widespread disseminated infection (affecting the tissues lining the brain, soft tissues, joints, and bone). Chronic infection is responsible for most of the morbidity and mortality. Chronic fibrocavitary disease is manifested by cough (sometimes productive of mucus), fevers, night sweats and weight loss. Osteomyelitis, including involvement of the spine, and meningitis may occur months to years after initial infection. Severe lung disease may develop in HIV-infected persons. Complications
Serious complications may occur in patients who have weakened immune systems, including severe pneumonia with respiratory failure and bronchopleural fistulas requiring resection, lung nodules, and possible disseminated form, where the infection spreads throughout the body. The disseminated form of coccidioidomycosis can devastate the body, causing skin ulcers, abscesses, bone lesions, swollen joints with severe pain, heart inflammation, urinary tract problems, and inflammation of the brains lining, which can lead to death. Cause
Rain starts the cycle of initial growth of the fungus underneath the soil. In soil (and in agar media), Coccidioides exist in filament form. It forms hyphae in both horizontal and vertical directions. Over a prolonged dry period, cells within hyphae degenerate to form alternating barrel-shaped cells (arthroconidia) which are light in weight and carried by air currents. This happens when the soil is disturbed, often by clearing trees, construction or  farming. As the population grows, so do all these activities, causing a potential cascade effect. The more land that is cleared and the more arid the soil, the riper the environment for Coccidioides.
Funisitis is inflammation of the connective tissue of the umbilical cord that occurs with chorioamnionitis. It involves only the external cord surface and Whartons jelly. It has no involvement of the vessels. It does not involve the umbilical stump, which would be seen in omphalitis. Necrotizing funisitis
Necrotizing funisitis is a very severe form of funisitis that occurs when the funisitis has been present for a long time. Debris from inflammatory cells accumulate and the cord becomes calcified. Treatment with IV antibiotics is necessary for necrotizing funisitis, with a minimum of 7 days. This can occur in healthy born infants; the infection occurs in the days and weeks following birth. With IV antibiotic treatment and early management, outcomes are good. Syphilis association
It could be associated with congenital syphilis, which is noted in a journal from 1999. It is now rare, and seen almost exclusively in the preterm infant. The majority of these affected infants are stillborn, or die within a few weeks of birth. See also
Chorioamnionitis
Placentitis


== References ==