Valley fever

Departments and specialties

Mayo Clinic has one of the largest and most experienced practices in the United States, with campuses in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota. Staff skilled in dozens of specialties work together to ensure quality care and successful recovery.

Research

The fungus that causes valley fever is linked to thousands of pneumonia cases a year in the United States. But experts say that's likely an undercount of the true problem. Many people aren't tested and diagnosed.

Anyone who visits an area where a fungus is found can be at risk. But fungal infections are particularly dangerous for people with weakened immune systems. This includes people being treated for cancer, those who have received an organ transplant, and people with HIV, among others.

Researchers at Mayo Clinic are working to modernize diagnosis and treatment of valley fever. Areas of research include:

• Creating the next generation of diagnostic tests. Mayo scientists and others are working to create a more consistent test to diagnose valley fever. The goal is to find the fungus by tracking a person's immune response to the germ. Researchers also are creating tests that identify traces of the fungus in samples. And using clinical trials, researchers are looking for other new, reliable signals of a valley fever infection.
• Exploring long-term effects. Researchers at Mayo Clinic are clarifying the diagnosis and treatment of valley fever complications, such as if the fungal infection reaches the nervous system.
• How valley fever interacts with other illnesses. For example, in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mayo Clinic's researchers collected information on how treatments for COVID-19 could affect people who also had valley fever.
• Improving existing treatments for valley fever. As part of a national team, Mayo scientists are working to improve valley fever therapies. The goal is to personalize treatments and improve medical care by better defining side effects and complications of current treatment.
• Planning for the future. Mayo researchers are collecting donated tissues and fluids from people who want to help prevent valley fever or improve treatment of valley fever in the future.

Publications

See a list of publications about valley fever by Mayo Clinic doctors on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.

Research Profiles