Katrina M Jackson, Marcus de Melo Teixeira, Bridget M Barker
{"title":"From soil to clinic: current advances in understanding <i>Coccidioides</i> and coccidioidomycosis.","authors":"Katrina M Jackson, Marcus de Melo Teixeira, Bridget M Barker","doi":"10.1128/mmbr.00161-23","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>SUMMARY<i>Coccidioides immitis</i> and <i>Coccidioides posadasii</i> are fungal pathogens that cause systemic mycoses and are prevalent in arid regions in the Americas. While <i>C. immitis</i> mainly occurs in California and Washington, <i>C. posadasii</i> is widely distributed across North and South America. Both species induce coccidioidomycosis (San Joaquin Valley fever or, more commonly, Valley fever), with reported cases surging in the United States, notably in California and Arizona. Moreover, cases in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico are on the rise. Climate change and environmental alterations conducive to <i>Coccidioides</i> spp. proliferation have been recently explored. Diagnostic challenges contribute to delayed treatment initiation, compounded by limited therapeutic options. Although antifungal drugs are often effective treatments, some patients do not respond to current therapies, underscoring the urgent need for a vaccine, particularly for vulnerable populations over 60 years old relocating to endemic areas. Despite recent progress, gaps persist in the understanding of <i>Coccidioides</i> ecology, host immune responses, and vaccine development. This review synthesizes recent research advancements in <i>Coccidioides</i> ecology, genomics, and immune responses, emphasizing ongoing efforts to develop a human vaccine.</p>","PeriodicalId":18520,"journal":{"name":"Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":8.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1128/mmbr.00161-23","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MICROBIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
SUMMARYCoccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii are fungal pathogens that cause systemic mycoses and are prevalent in arid regions in the Americas. While C. immitis mainly occurs in California and Washington, C. posadasii is widely distributed across North and South America. Both species induce coccidioidomycosis (San Joaquin Valley fever or, more commonly, Valley fever), with reported cases surging in the United States, notably in California and Arizona. Moreover, cases in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico are on the rise. Climate change and environmental alterations conducive to Coccidioides spp. proliferation have been recently explored. Diagnostic challenges contribute to delayed treatment initiation, compounded by limited therapeutic options. Although antifungal drugs are often effective treatments, some patients do not respond to current therapies, underscoring the urgent need for a vaccine, particularly for vulnerable populations over 60 years old relocating to endemic areas. Despite recent progress, gaps persist in the understanding of Coccidioides ecology, host immune responses, and vaccine development. This review synthesizes recent research advancements in Coccidioides ecology, genomics, and immune responses, emphasizing ongoing efforts to develop a human vaccine.
期刊介绍:
Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews (MMBR), a journal that explores the significance and interrelationships of recent discoveries in various microbiology fields, publishes review articles that help both specialists and nonspecialists understand and apply the latest findings in their own research. MMBR covers a wide range of topics in microbiology, including microbial ecology, evolution, parasitology, biotechnology, and immunology. The journal caters to scientists with diverse interests in all areas of microbial science and encompasses viruses, bacteria, archaea, fungi, unicellular eukaryotes, and microbial parasites. MMBR primarily publishes authoritative and critical reviews that push the boundaries of knowledge, appealing to both specialists and generalists. The journal often includes descriptive figures and tables to enhance understanding. Indexed/Abstracted in various databases such as Agricola, BIOSIS Previews, CAB Abstracts, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Service, Current Contents- Life Sciences, EMBASE, Food Science and Technology Abstracts, Illustrata, MEDLINE, Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science), Summon, and Scopus, among others.