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Mold Removal.
Mold-Caused Skin DiseasesMold causes dozens of serious skin diseases. This page explains one mold-caused skin disease [popularly known as "Valley Fever"] that has afflicted millions of people living in southwestern United States. This explanation and the photo's below are from the excellent book The Fifth Kingdom by Bryce Kendrick ---
Coccidioidomycosis is a nasty tongue-twister of a
name, often contracted to 'coccy', for the disease caused by
Coccidioides immitis. This fungus thrives in dry, saline soils, and
is endemic in desert areas of the Southwestern U.S., where the disease is
often called 'valley fever,' and Mexico (though it is strangely absent
from the deserts of Africa and Asia). The process of infection, progress
of the disease, and clinical symptoms, are very similar to those of
histoplasmosis, though the fungus is not intracellular, and forms
spherical structures containing spores. In culture, the same fungus
produces chains of alternate thallic-arthric conidia, and has no known
teleomorph. Millions of people in the U.S. Southwest have contracted the
disease. Fortunately, as in histoplasmosis, most cases are benign, and
healing is spontaneous. A few become systemic, and are usually fatal if
untreated or misdiagnosed. The disseminated form of this disease is more
common among males than females, and among people with darkly pigmented
skin. |
