Las Vegas: Home of Gambling, and Valley Fever

When most people think of Las Vegas, Nevada, they automatically visualize huge, elaborate casinos with erupting volcanoes out front or shows with glamorous dancers, but few people would think of a potentially deadly disease lurking in the soil around Glitter Gulch. But there is such an insidious fungus hanging around the desert. It's called Coccidioides immittis or Valley Fever, and it can produce some nasty symptoms.

The fungus produces small spores that mix in with the soil and dust. The spores are then easily picked up by wind and transported around the desert. Even on non-windy days, the spores can still move via construction equipment, farm equipment or even digging with a shovel. Anyone working out of doors in the desert around Las Vegas should be aware of Valley Fever and take precautions. Construction workers and even biologists digging around in animal burrows are at risk. The spores can be inhaled without the person realizing because the spores are extremely small. Once inhaled, the spores grow into a bigger multi-celled organism that is known as a spherule. This keeps getting bigger until it bursts open, releasing more spores that grow and continue the entire process over again.

Not everyone who breathes in the spores, however, will develop Valley Fever, but those who do will begin to feel like they have a bad cold or possibly the flu. Most people don't seek treatment because they do think they have a cold and believe it will clear up by itself. If the disease progresses further without treatment, the infected person will need to stay in bed and take prescribed medicine. Without fast treatment, Valley Fever can get even worse and eventually become lethal. The spores can leave the lungs and get into the bloodstream. If they get into the brain, the brain membrane can swell. This is called meningitis and can be fatal.

Las Vegas isn't the only area that has the Coccidioides immitis spores, but due to its dry and hot temperature, it is an especially good environment for the disease. The San Joaquin Valley of California and areas of Arizona also have reported cases. Some people could have been exposed to Valley Fever and show no symptoms. In addition to humans, farm animals, domestic animals and wild mammals like coyotes and rodents are also susceptible to inhaling the spores and becoming ill. Medicines that kill fungus can be administered and generally cure the animals, although it could be a very long recovery. The most disturbing thing about the spores is that they can lay dormant for a long time during droughts and then become viable again when it rains.