Date/Time
Date(s) - 11 Nov 2011
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Location
Arizona Science Center
Dangerous Dirt:
Learn about Valley Fever. What is it and how is it transmitted?
Presented by Doug Lake, Associate Professor, Arizona State University
Arizona Sciencee Center Frontiers in Medical Science Lectures
600 E. Washington, Phoenix AZ 85004
Friday, November 11, 2011 7 PM – 8 PM
Dr. Lake studies the immune response to Coccidioides (Valley Fever) to understand how and why some peoples’ immune systems can control an infection while others cannot. Coccidioides sp. (Cocci) is a fungus that lives in the soil in the desert southwest and in the central valley in California. When soil is disrupted, fungal spores float into the air and can be inhaled by humans and animals. In the lung, spores germinate and multiply. Most of the time, such an infection manifests as an upper respiratory infection that is controlled by the immune system and resolves within a few weeks. In
some individuals, however, the infection is not controlled properly and results in prolonged illness (over 6 months) or dissemination of the fungus beyond the chest wall into skin, bone, central nervous system and other organs. Dr. Lake’s group works on a blood test to distinguish people with Valley Fever from other illnesses that produce similar symptoms.
This program is presented by the Arizona Science Center. For more details visit: http://www.azscience.org/adults_night_out.php