Most people who experience coccidioidomycosis (Cocci) have no noticeable symptoms. Of those who do, most have flu-like symptoms and never get diagnosed with Cocci.
Only 40% of people infected experience these flu-like symptoms. Some of the flu-like symptoms include achiness, cough, rash, chest pain, weakness, and fever.
Physician’s looking for signs of Cocci will take a sample of the sputum (mucus) to look for the presence of the tiny coccidioides immitis fungus spores. Examinations of the blood can show how the blood cells react to the presentation of the fungus.
Skin tests can also indicate the body’s reaction to the spores. Chest-x-rays will also reveal the condition of the lungs and the extent of the invasion.
If the patient is just experiencing the flu-like symptoms, rest may be enough to pass through it unscathed. If, on the other hand, the spores spread into the bones, skin, or worst of all, the meninges, there are new drugs to kill off the spores. In cases of significantly damaged bone, skin, or lung tissue, surgery may be required.