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Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2009;135(6):618-619.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Diagnosis: Disseminated coccidioidomycosis of the infratemporal fossa

Coccidioidomycosis, which is caused by Coccidioides immitis or Coccidioides posadasii, is a disease that affects both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals.¹ Infectious airborne spores known as arthroconidia are inhaled by the host and reach the pulmonary alveoli. Approximately 60% of individuals with primary coccidioidomycosis are asymptomatic. Most of the remaining 40% experience mild to moderate symptoms within 7 to 21 days after inhalation of arthroconidia. Common symptoms include fever, cough, chest discomfort, headache, malaise, and fatigue.^1-3 Other pulmonary manifestations include pneumonia, pleural effusion, hilar lymphadenopathy, and lung nodules.^1-2

Dissemination to extrapulmonary sites occurs in fewer than 1% of patients with coccidioidomycosis.³ Certain groups of patients are at higher risk to develop extrapulmonary disease, including patients of Filipino, African American, Native American, and Latin American descent and pregnant women in the third trimester.^{1, 3} Almost all cases of disseminated coccidioidomycosis arise from a primary pulmonary infection; however, in rare cares, there may . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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