No Consistent Link Between Dust Storms and Valley Fever (Coccidioidomycosis)

Autor: Andrew C. Comrie
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Epidemiology
Health
Toxicology and Mutagenesis
animal diseases
coccidioidomycosis
Pollution: Urban
Regional and Global
General or Miscellaneous
Megacities and Urban Environment
Atmospheric Composition and Structure
Management
Monitoring
Policy and Law
Biogeosciences
Environmental protection
complex mixtures
Oceanography: Biological and Chemical
dust storms
Haboob
Paleoceanography
TD169-171.8
medicine
Waste Management and Disposal
climate
Urban Systems
Water Science and Technology
Aerosols
Global and Planetary Change
disease
Marine Pollution
Public Health
Environmental and Occupational Health
haboobs
Storm
Geohealth
health
Aerosols and Particles
medicine.disease
Pollution
Valley fever
Oceanography: General
Geography
Pollution: Urban and Regional
Climatology
weather
Impacts of Climate Change: Human Health
Public Health
Health Impact
Natural Hazards
Research Article
Zdroj: GeoHealth
GeoHealth, Vol 5, Iss 12, Pp n/a-n/a (2021)
ISSN: 2471-1403
Popis: Dust storms, such as those associated with haboobs and strong regional winds, are frequently assumed to cause increases in cases of Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis). The disease is caused by inhaling arthroconidia of Coccidioides fungi that, after being disturbed from semi‐desert subsoil, have become airborne. Fungal arthroconidia can be transported in low‐wind conditions as well as in individual dust events, but there is no reliable evidence that all or most dust storms consistently lead to subsequent increases in coccidioidomycosis cases. Following a review of the relevant literature, this study examines the relationship between dust storms and coccidioidomycosis cases to determine if there is a consistent and general association between them. All recorded dust storms from 2006 to 2020 in and near the Phoenix area of Maricopa County, Arizona and the Bakersfield area of Kern County, California were used in a compositing analysis (superposed epoch analysis) of subsequent coccidioidomycosis cases in each area. Analyses of monthly and weekly disease case data showed no statistical differences in the patterns of coccidioidomycosis cases following dust storms versus non‐dust storm conditions, for the entire data set as well as for seasonal subsets of the data. This study thoroughly analyzes post‐dust storm coccidioidomycosis cases for a large set of dust storms, and it confirms and expands upon previous literature, including a recent study that measured airborne arthroconidia and found no consistent links connecting wind and dust conditions to increases in coccidioidomycosis.
Key Points It is often asserted that large dust storms like haboobs generally lead to increases in cases of Valley fever (coccidioidomycosis)This study thoroughly tests that assertion using dust storm and coccidioidomycosis case data over many yearsConsistent with literature, results show no statistical difference in cases of the disease after dust storm and non‐dust‐storm conditions
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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