A desert fungus that infects humans is spreading
... And scientists don't fully understand why.
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Check out the article by Keren Landman on Vox.com for more: https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23673211/valley-fever-cocci-fungal-infections-colorado-river-dust
Out of the millions of fungal species in the world, only a few hundred can make people sick. Coccidioides is one of them — and it lives in desert dust. Microscopic spores are kicked up when the ground is disturbed; if inhaled, they can cause an infection known as Valley fever. Most people recover without ever knowing they had it, but others will experience far more intense symptoms, ranging from pneumonia to meningitis. Coccidioides is also really good at eating … meat.
Fortunately, this fungus is typically only found in the southwestern US, parts of Mexico, and Central and South America — and cases are rare. But unfortunately, that range is expanding quickly. Scientists are racing to understand exactly why, because even though this fungus has existed for millennia, there are still tons of unanswered questions about how it lives both in the desert and in people.
Further reading:
Bridget Barker is one of the authors of the endozoan hypothesis. You can read her study co-authored by John Taylor here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30690603/.
This article talks about the need for prevention methods: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6749157/?report=reader
You can find the study that predicts the spread of Coccidioides here: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2019GH000209
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Subscribe and turn on notifications ? so you don't miss any videos: http://goo.gl/0bsAjO
Check out the article by Keren Landman on Vox.com for more: https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/23673211/valley-fever-cocci-fungal-infections-colorado-river-dust
Out of the millions of fungal species in the world, only a few hundred can make people sick. Coccidioides is one of them — and it lives in desert dust. Microscopic spores are kicked up when the ground is disturbed; if inhaled, they can cause an infection known as Valley fever. Most people recover without ever knowing they had it, but others will experience far more intense symptoms, ranging from pneumonia to meningitis. Coccidioides is also really good at eating … meat.
Fortunately, this fungus is typically only found in the southwestern US, parts of Mexico, and Central and South America — and cases are rare. But unfortunately, that range is expanding quickly. Scientists are racing to understand exactly why, because even though this fungus has existed for millennia, there are still tons of unanswered questions about how it lives both in the desert and in people.
Further reading:
Bridget Barker is one of the authors of the endozoan hypothesis. You can read her study co-authored by John Taylor here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30690603/.
This article talks about the need for prevention methods: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6749157/?report=reader
You can find the study that predicts the spread of Coccidioides here: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1029/2019GH000209
Vox is an explanatory newsroom on a mission to help everyone understand our weird, wonderful, complicated world, so that we can all help shape it. Part of that mission is keeping our work free. You can help us do that by making a gift: http://www.vox.com/contribute-now
Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@voxdotcom
Check out our articles: https://www.vox.com/
Listen to our podcasts: https://www.vox.com/podcasts
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