Coccidioides immitis is a fungal disease that causes the fungal infection known as Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis). This fungus lives in soil, dry and low rainfall areas and replicates in increased soil moisture. Valley fever incidence is linked to climate changes due to the fungus lifecycle and is a dimorphic fungus. The fungus remains dormant in the soil and lives off of dead organic matter until the soil dries. When the soil dries it becomes a fungal spore (arthroconidia) with slender filaments that then break off and become airborne when the soil in which they are in is disturbed. The spores can also become airborne with high winds and soil movement due to digging, construction and farming (CDC, 2014). People indirectly come into contact with the spore through inhalation. The spore reproduces in the lungs after the host becomes infected with it. This fungus infection is not a communicable disease (contagious) because it can’t be spread from person to person (Bazzo, 2013).
Twenty five percent of valley fever’s primary infections manifest as a community acquired pneumonia usually within 1 to 3 weeks after becoming infected. About 60% of individuals that become infected don’t show any symptoms of being infected, 10% of them experience flu like symptoms, 5% grow a skin lesion, meningitis, osteomyelitis, and 15% develop pneumonia like symptoms and. There are a small percentage of cases of disseminated coccidioidomycosis development in the body. Some common symptoms for valley fever are fever, cough, headache, muscle aches, chest discomfort, malaise, and tiredness. The signs and symptoms associated with valley fever may last six months or longer in those that weren’t diagnosed early (CDC, 2009).
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...dioidomycosis http://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/coccidioidomycosis/.
CDC (2013). Increase in Reported Coccidioidomycosis -United States, 1998–2011. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6212a1.htm.
CDC. (2009). Increase in Coccidioidomycosis -California, 2000-2007.
Galgiani, J., Ampel, N. , Blair, J. , Catanzaro, A. , Johnson, R. , et al. (2005). Coccidioidomycosis. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 41(9), 1217-1223.
Kolivras, K., & Comrie, A. (2003). Modeling valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) Incidence on the Basis of Climate Conditions. International Journal of Biometeorology, 47(2), 87-101.
Talamantes, J., Behseta, S., & Zender, C. (2007). Statistical Modeling of Valley Fever Data in Kern County, California. International Journal of Biometeorology, 51(4), 307-313.
Brown, Jennifer Brown, Benedict, Kaitlin. (2013). Coccidioidomycosis: epidemiology. 5: 185–197.
Dickerson, James L. Yellow Fever: A Deadly Disease Poised to Kill Again. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2006. Print.
Yellow fever is a horrible disease for those who begin to show symptoms, and while that number is low, of those who do become ill 50% die; only after having two rounds ...
Infectious diseases had major impacts and influences in the human history. Diseases such as Spanish Influenza or the Bubonic Plague have remarkable positions in history. Disease spread models are used to predict outcomes of an epidemic. These models are used to calculate the impact of an infectious disease, funding required for mass vaccinations and data for public health departments. The earliest mathematical model of infectious diseases was created by Daniel Bernoulli in 1766. This model was used to predict the outcome of inoculation against smallpox disease. In the modern world, these models are created using various software programs. The reason why I chose this subject is because I previously worked on some modelling simulations. Also my father is in the healthcare sector, so this topic looked very exciting to me. Predicting outcomes of infectious epidemics may save thousands of lives and millions of dollars. In the healthcare sector, accuracy and reliability is very important. In this project, the work function of the SIR epidemic model and some of its derivatives will be explored along with some theorems about this models. SIR model is the fundamental model of almost all modern epidemic models. SIR model is the most widely used disease spread model in the world. Also it is a simple epidemic model which has mathematics that commensurate with our class.
About half the population is not exposed to this virus until late adolescence. The peak incidence for girls is 14-16 and boys 16-18. After initial contact with the virus, there is an incubation period of 4-6 weeks and then the symptoms start appearing. Symptoms include fever, sore throat and lymph adenopathy (swollen and tender lymph nodes). Mono may be called glandular fever as well because of the swelling in the lymph nodes. Fevers can get as high as 102 degrees Fahrenheit and may remain high for 3-4 weeks. Other symptoms include enlargement of the spleen and liver, fatigue, loss of appetite, periorbital edema (swelling of the tissue around the eyes), petechiae (tiny bruising like spots on the roof of mouth), and a fine rash. The white blood cell and liver enzyme counts are elevated, and anemia can occur with low platelet counts.
Also known as Coccidioidomycosis, Valley fever infections have been on the rise in recent years. Endemic to the desert Southwest, valley fever is caused by the soil-dwelling fungus Coccidioides. The cocci get stirred up by building, drilling, tilling, and clearing land, and disperse due to dry, hot, windy conditions. The spores may be inhaled and are capable of embedding deep into the lungs.
Some of the minor symptoms for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever can include fever, headache, abdominal pain, vomiting, muscle pain, rash, chills, and confusion. Some of the more severe symptoms may include hallucinations, dehydration due to vomiting, and maybe even death. (3). Other symptoms of RMSF may include Necrosis or loss of tissue due to the lack of blood flow or oxygenated blood, hemorrhaging. The rash often initially appears on the skin of the wrists and ankles and spreads to involve the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, the forearms, the trunk, the buttocks, and the neck and facial areas.
Valley fever is a fungal pathogen. Coccidioidomycosis is valley fever’s scientific name. The pathogen’s structure is a spore. Valley fever is caused by Coccidioides immitis. Coccidioides immitis is a fungus that grows in soil. Valley fever is most commonly found in areas with little precipitation. This pathogen is most commonly found in the southern United States, Central America, and South America. However, scientists are worried that increased temperatures may cause valley fever to spread and affect new areas.
A person who has been infected by the disease may experience signs of fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, and a red rash that appears blotchy. Generally the signs become present between ten and twenty-one days after the person has been exposed to and infected by the virus (Silverstein et al., 1998). This is what is known as the incubation period (Plum, J., 2001). The rash is most likely to begin on the chest, back, or the scalp, but will soon spread to the rest of the body. After a couple days of having physical evidence of the infection, the rash will s...
Galgiani JN, A. N. (2000). Practice guideline for the treatment of coccidioidomycosis. Infectious Diseases Society of America Clin Infect Dis, 30:658-61.
"Ecology and Transmission." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 13 June 2012. Web. 01 May 2014. .
The spread of smallpox is by inhaling air from an already infected person, which will cause the person who is inhaling to become infected themselves. Another cause of infection is coming into contact with an infected person sneezing or coughing. Another form of spreading the disease has is infecting a person when they come into contact with the puss that is inside the lumps on an already infected person's body, also the skin and body fluids, as well as intimate objects that have b...
If you ever had the chicken pox then you have the shingles virus. Shingles occurs when the varicella virus is awakening in the body. Signs of the shingles include tingling and a lot of pain also includes a blistering rash. Early symptoms of the shingles include fever and general weakness. Then a few days later you start to notice pink or red patches and rash like on one side of your body. The shingles often appears around the rib cage or waist. This is referred to as a shingles band or the shingles girdle. This can cover a wide area on one side of the body and it can be very painful if you wear tight clothing. Then there’s the ophthalmic shingles, it affects the nerve that controls the facial sensation and the movement in your face. This can appear around your eyes on the forehead and the nose. The symptoms for this are headaches, redness and swelling of the eyes, this can cause the eyes to have double vision or blurred vision. The rash that shingles develops is blisters with fluid inside them similar to chicken pox. New and new blisters continue to develop for a couple of days. It’s...
The increase of population density over the past century due to an overall increase in population and the desire of many to live in major city centres. This population density has an adverse affect on the spread of infectious disease as the more people the larger amount of contact between individuals. Due to this increased contact it only takes one sick individual to spread a disease to potentially thousands through the transferal of microbes. A well known example that demonstrates just how quickly this can occur is the influenza virus. New strains of this virus are constantly emerging and the spread of these strains is aided by the close proximity of people living in cities. One of the latest flu strains to break out is the H7N9 a type of bird flu which broke out in china in the 2013 flu season. China has one of the highest population densities in the world and this is possibly the reason they see such a high rate of outbreaks. The H7N9 influenza strain infected 28 people and killed 8 in the first 9 days of the virus being recognized. Once the virus was tracked back to its source, a poultry market in shanghai, the outbreak was contained. The SIR model is used to track the spread of fl...
There are many symptoms of yellow fever and they vary depending on the severity of the disease. Some of the symptoms are basically normal and would not lead the sufferer to believe that something was seriously wrong. The first symptoms, fever, headache, nausea, and backache are common and appear soon after a patient has contracted t...
The occurrence of infectious disease and epidemics has speckled the history of humanity since the first civilization established itself. Considering that a large population can help to foster infectious diseases, and humans share almost 300 communicable agents with animals, the outbreak of epidemics is inextricably intertwined with revol...