Surveillance for Coccidioidomycosis, Histoplasmosis, and Blastomycosis During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, 2019–2021
Year: 2024
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, and blastomycosis are lower respiratory tract fungal infections whose signs and symptoms can resemble those of other respiratory illnesses, including pneumonia caused by bacterial or viral etiologies; this overlap in clinical presentation might lead to missed or delayed diagnoses. The causative fungi live in the environment, often in soil or plant matter. To describe the epidemiologic characteristics of cases of coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, and blastomycosis during the COVID-19 pandemic, CDC analyzed case surveillance data for 2019-2021. During this period, a total of 59,655 coccidioidomycosis cases, 3,595 histoplasmosis cases, and 719 blastomycosis cases were reported to CDC. In 2020, fewer cases of each disease occurred in spring compared with other seasons, and most cases occurred in fall; national seasonality is not typically observed, and cases were seasonally distributed more evenly in 2019 and 2021. Fewer cases coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with an unusually high blastomycosis case fatality rate in 2021 (17% compared with more typical rates of 8%-10%), suggest that the pandemic might have affected patients' health care-seeking behavior, public health reporting practices, or clinical management of these diseases. Increased awareness and education are needed to encourage health care providers to consider fungal diseases and to identify pneumonia of fungal etiology. Standardized diagnostic guidance and informational resources for fungal testing could be incorporated into broader respiratory disease awareness and preparedness efforts to improve early diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, and blastomycosis.
Authors: Samantha L. Williams, Dallas J. Smith, Kaitlin Benedict, Jamie R. Ahlers, Connie Austin, Rachael Birn, Angel M. Carter, Natalie N. Christophe, Katie Cibulskas, Paul R. Cieslak, Suzanne N. Gibbons-Burgener, Michael Gosciminski, Malia J. Ireland, Katelyn V. Lazenby, Tom Loftus, Kristy Lunquest, Abby A. Mathewson, Alyssa D. Nguyen, Hanna N. Oltean, BreAnne Osborn, Erin M. Petro, Danny J. Power, Rebecca R. Reik, Levi Schlosser, Judi Sedivy, Chad B. Smelser, Tom Chiller, Mitsuru Toda
Institutions: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Rhode Island Department of Health, Illinois Department of Public Health, Kentucky Department for Public Health, Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, University of Nebraska Medical Center
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4393055417