UC Merced Magazine | Volume XIX, Issue V

UC Merced’s Valley Fever Research Tackles an Important — and Local — Problem By Patty Guerra

Valley fever (scienti c name coccidioidomycosis) is a fungal infection found in the soil and dirt of the San Joaquin Valley and other places across the southwest. It spreads among animals and humans through inhaled fungal spores and can cause symptoms ranging from mild u and rash to ulcers, skin lesions and potentially fatal meningitis. And it’s on the rise. According to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), cases of Valley fever tripled between 2014 and 2018, and between 7,000 and 9,000 cases were reported each year from 2018 to 2022. Evidence shows that as many as 80 percent of San Joaquin Valley residents are exposed to the fungus that causes Valley fever. UC Merced’s Health Sciences Research Institute has been researching Valley fever, and working toward better

outcomes for those a ected by it, since 2013. e recent completion of a Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory, the highest-level containment facilities currently operated by the University of California, on campus will facilitate this and other vitally important research. In announcing the BSL-3 laboratory, Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz said, “ e research performed here will advance our understanding of infectious diseases, with a particular focus on Valley fever, a longtime scourge of those who work the land in California and the American Southwest. is signi cant work will do so much to improve the daily lives of so many in our region and boost the agriculture industry that is vital to our economic future — as well as to mark UC Merced as a global leader in public health research.” One of the problems with Valley fever is it’s really di cult to diagnose.

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