Coccidioides immitis is a fungal disease that causes a fungal infection known as valley fever (coccidioidomycosis). This fungus lives in the soil, in dry areas with low rainfall, and reproduces in areas with increased soil moisture. The incidence of valley fever is linked to climate changes due to the life cycle of the fungus and is a dimorphic fungus. The fungus remains dormant in the soil and feeds on dead organic matter until the soil dries. When the soil dries, it turns into a fungal spore (arthroconidia) with thin filaments which then break off and become airborne when the soil they are in is disturbed. Spores can also be blown into the air during high winds and ground movement from digging, construction, and agriculture (CDC, 2014). People come into contact with the spore indirectly through inhalation. The spore reproduces in the lungs once the host is infected with it. This fungal infection is not a communicable (contagious) disease because it cannot spread from person to person (Bazzo, 2013). Twenty-five percent of primary valley fever infections manifest as community-acquired pneumonia, usually within 1 to 3 weeks of valley fever onset. infected. About 60% of infected people have no symptoms of infection, 10% of them have flu-like symptoms, 5% develop a skin lesion, meningitis, osteomyelitis, and 15% develop pneumonia-like symptoms. There is a small percentage of cases of developing disseminated coccidioidomycosis in the body. Some common symptoms of valley fever are fever, cough, headache, muscle pain, chest discomfort, malaise, and fatigue. Signs and symptoms associated with valley fever can last six months or more in those who are not diagnosed early (CDC, 2009).Class of specific geographic areas...... middle of article. .....dioidomycosis http: //www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/coccidioidomycosis/.CDC (2013). Increase in reported coccidioidomycosis - United States, 1998-2011. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6212a1.htm.CDC. (2009). Increase in coccidioidomycosis -California, 2000-2007. Galgiani, J., Ampel, N., Blair, J., Catanzaro, A., Johnson, R., et al. (2005). Coccidioidomycosis. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 41(9), 1217-1223. Kolivras, K. and Comrie, A. (2003). Modeling the incidence of valley fever (coccidioidomycosis) based on climatic conditions. International Journal of Biometeorology, 47(2), 87-101. Talamantes, J., Behseta, S. and Zender, C. (2007). Statistical modeling of valley fever data in Kern County, California. International Journal of Biometeorology, 51(4), 307-313.Brown, Jennifer Brown, Benedict, Kaitlin. (2013). Coccidioidomycosis: epidemiology. 5: 185–197.