Coccidioidal Granuloma

Coccidioidal granuloma is a disease of both animals and man, resembling tuberculosis but caused by its own specific fungus,Oidiumcoccidioides. In the last few years it has been shown to be more common than was formerly supposed. Though only approximately ninety-five cases have been reported in the medical literature, the California State Public Health Service knows of about 175 proved cases. Because the main focus of the disease appears to be in the San Joaquin valley, California, most physicians living elsewhere think it a rarity. Almost certainly, many people die of this disease erroneously diagnosed tuberculosis. There is no direct evidence of contagion, the two known portals of entry being the skin and the lungs. The majority of cases have been in adult males of the laboring class. The predominant lesions are in the skin, lungs and bones, and consist of granulomas and cold abscesses. The skin lesions resemble