Risk factors for disseminated coccidioidomycosis, United States

Of 150,000 new coccidioidomycosis infections that occur annually in the United States, approximate to 1% disseminate; one third of those cases are fatal. Immunocompromised hosts have higher rates of dissemination. We identified 8 patients with disseminated coccidioidomycosis who had defects in the interleukin-12/interferon-gamma and STAT3 axes, indicating that these are critical host defense pathways.