Case-crossover study finds higher coccidioidomycosis risk in residents living near oil and gas wells, indicating that industrial soil disturbance drives fungal transmission.
Key Points
To determine whether exposure to preproduction oil and gas well development increases the risk of coccidioidomycosis among nearby residents.
Conducted a case-crossover study evaluating reported coccidioidomycosis cases and oil and gas well development data from 2007 to 2022 in Kern County, CA, USA.
Used conditional logistic regression to compare exposure to preproduction wells within 5 km of an individual's residence during hazard periods (49–139 days before symptom onset) versus control periods.
Odds of coccidioidomycosis incidence were 12.5% higher (odds ratio increase, 95% CI 5.8–19.6) in the 90 days following exposure to at least one preproduction well within 5 km of a residence.
Odds of infection increased by 0.7% (95% CI 0.4–0.9) for each additional preproduction well developed within 5 km.