Raman Elangovan, Sharma Sorabh
Department of Internal Medicine, Madras Medical College and Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai, IND.
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson, Tucson, USA.
Cureus. 2025 Jul 11;17(7):e87716. doi: 10.7759/cureus.87716. eCollection 2025 Jul.
Coccidioidomycosis, also known as "Valley Fever," is an endemic fungal infection caused by species, typically presenting as a respiratory illness. Disseminated disease, particularly with extensive skeletal involvement, is rare and typically seen in immunocompromised individuals. We report a unique and severe case of disseminated musculoskeletal coccidioidomycosis in a previously healthy immunocompetent 33-year-old African American man, involving multiple spinal levels, pelvic bones, and the right chest wall. The patient required multiple orthopedic surgeries, including anterior and posterior spinal decompression and fusion, bilateral sacroiliac joint debridement, and pelvic fixation. The diagnosis was confirmed via bone biopsy demonstrating Coccidioides spherules. Despite antifungal therapy, his disease progressed, necessitating escalation of treatment from fluconazole to isavuconazole and liposomal amphotericin B, followed by initiation of fosmanogepix as part of the approved treatment regimen. This case highlights the importance of high clinical suspicion, aggressive surgical intervention, and multidisciplinary management in complex disseminated coccidioidomycosis, even in immunocompetent hosts.
球孢子菌病,也被称为“山谷热”,是一种由特定菌种引起的地方性真菌感染,通常表现为呼吸道疾病。播散性疾病,尤其是广泛累及骨骼的情况较为罕见,多见于免疫功能低下的个体。我们报告了一例独特且严重的播散性肌肉骨骼球孢子菌病病例,患者为一名33岁此前健康的免疫功能正常的非裔美国男性,病变累及多个脊柱节段、骨盆骨骼及右侧胸壁。患者接受了多次骨科手术,包括前路和后路脊柱减压融合术、双侧骶髂关节清创术以及骨盆固定术。通过骨活检发现球孢子菌小球体确诊了该病。尽管进行了抗真菌治疗,但其病情仍进展,治疗需从氟康唑升级为艾沙康唑和脂质体两性霉素B,随后作为批准治疗方案的一部分开始使用伏马诺吉哌。该病例强调了在复杂的播散性球孢子菌病中,即使是在免疫功能正常的宿主中,保持高度临床怀疑、积极的手术干预及多学科管理的重要性。