Disseminated coccidioidomycosis

Definition

Diffuse pulmonary coccidioidomycosis occurs either when there is inhalation of a massive number of arthroconia, such as may occur during archeological excavations, or among individuals with severely depressed cellular immunity (e.g., late HIV-1 infection [AIDS]; cancer chemotherapy; allogeneic transplant recipients, treatment with corticosteroids; and during the second, third trimesters and postpartum pregnancy). The radiographic appearance often is a mixture of small nodules and interstitial findings, sometimes called "reticulonodular" or, because it may resemble overwhelming pulmonary tuberculosis, "miliary."

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