Abstract
Study was made of a case of coccidioidomycosis known to have resulted from primary inoculation of the organisms into the skin. Clinical observations and laboratory data were obtained at the time of clinical illness and for a period of five years thereafter. From the information thus obtained and correlation of it with what already was known of coccidioidomycosis, it was concluded that the disease originates very rarely as the result of primary cutaneous inoculation. In most instances lesions suspected to be of this type have actually resulted by dissemination of the organisms to the skin from a previously unrecognized pulmonary focus.
Primary cutaneous coccidioidomycotic lesions closely resemble the primary cutaneous lesions (chancres) in other infectious granulomata, such as syphilis, tuberculosis and sporotrichosis. Spontaneous involution should occur within three months and then there should be immunity to reinfection in all but one or two per thousand instances.
From these observations certain criteria were evolved by which to determine in a case of coccidioidomycosis with cutaneous manifestations whether or not the infecting organism entered through the skin.
Full text
PDF
Images in this article
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Dickson E. C. "Valley Fever" of the San Joaquin Valley and Fungus Coccidioides. Cal West Med. 1937 Sep;47(3):151–155. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- SMITH C. E., SAITO M. T., BEARD R. R., KEPP R. M., CLARK R. W., EDDIE B. U. Serological tests in the diagnosis and prognosis of coccidioidomycosis. Am J Hyg. 1950 Jul;52(1):1–21. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a119404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- WILSON J. W. Coccidioidomycosis as a tool in the study of granulomatous disease. Calif Med. 1953 Apr;78(4):257–262. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]