Coccidioidomycosis in liver transplant recipients relocating to an endemic area

Coccidioidomycosis is an endemic fungal infection of the desert southwestern United States. This infection occurs at a rate of 1% to 8% in solid organ transplant recipients residing in the endemic area, and it has a high rate of disseminated infection and mortality. The risk of infection among transplant recipients from nonendemic areas visiting or moving to an endemic region is not known. We reviewed the clinical course of 41 liver transplant recipients who originally resided in and underwent liver transplantation in an area of low coccidioidal endemicity and who later relocated their follow-up care to our program, which is located in an endemic area. No patients received antifungal prophylaxis to prevent primary coccidioidomycosis. Among 37 patients with at least 1 year of follow-up care, the incidence of new coccidioidal infection was 2.7%. Coccidioidomycosis was identified in one patient and was manifested by fatigue, anemia, and pulmonary nodules. This patient survived with oral antifungal therapy. Coccidioidomycosis was not a frequent event in liver transplant recipients from areas of low endemicity who relocated to our highly endemic area.