ABSTRACT
Coccidioidomycosis, caused by Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii, causes significant morbidity and mortality, both in immunocompetent and immunocompromised people, mainly in endemic areas. The present work analyzed its epidemiology, diagnostic methods, and treatment by reviewing clinical cases published from 1950 to 2021. Fifty-nine articles were included, corresponding to 275 clinical cases. The results showed a higher incidence of coccidioidomycosis in the male gender than the female gender. The most affected age group was 31-40 years, and the most reported clinical presentation was disseminated with greater involvement in cutaneous and subcutaneous tissue, followed by the CNS, bone system, and peritoneum. The species most frequently reported was C. immitis. The most used treatment was azoles, followed by their combination with amphotericin B, monotherapy with amphotericin B, and alternative medicine. This work shows that epidemiological data outside the USA are still scarce. Serological tests are the preferred diagnostic method in daily medical practice, and cultures remain the gold standard. The treatment for coccidioidomycosis is ketoconazole and amphotericin B, individually or in combination.
ABSTRACT
At present, there is no standardized marker that is routinely used in clinical laboratories to diagnose coccidioidomycosis. Thus, the goals of this study were to obtain a sequence characterized amplified region (SCAR) marker for the identification of Coccidioides spp., evaluate its specificity and sensitivity in fungal DNA-spiked blood and sputum samples, and compare it with previously described molecular markers. Specific amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) amplicons for Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii were cloned into the vector pGEM® -T Easy vector and sequenced to develop a SCAR marker. Oligonucleotides were designed to identify Coccidioides spp. by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and the specificity and sensitivity of these oligonucleotides were tested with the DNA from related pathogens. The specificity and sensitivity of the SCAR marker was evaluated with blood and sputum samples spiked with Coccidioides DNA and compared with other previously described markers (621, GAC2, and Ag2/PRA). In addition, the conditions for its use were established using biological samples. A specific marker named SCAR300 was obtained to identify Coccidioides spp. that exhibited good sensitivity and specificity. The results showed that all of the markers tested in this study can identify Coccidioides spp. However, the SCAR300 and 621 markers were the most sensitive, whereas the SCAR300 marker was the most specific. Thus, the SCAR300 marker is a useful tool to identify Coccidioides spp.
