A Rare Case of Coccidioidomycosis Meningitis

Abstract

Disseminated coccidioidomycosis is a fungal disease endemic to the Southwest United States as well as South and Central America. This dimorphic fungus typically manifests as pulmonary infection; however, there are very rare instances of extrapulmonary disseminated disease especially in immunocompromised hosts. Here, we present a 46-year-old immunocompromised patient with a recent diagnosis of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis that initially presented with acute respiratory failure and was found to have coccidioidomycosis meningitis. This case highlights that despite early and adequate treatment of a known pulmonary coccidioidomycosis infection, dissemination of the disease can still ensue and should be considered in cases of acute encephalopathy.

J Med Cases. 2023;14(3):81-87
doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc4040