Characterizing the Soil Microbial Community Associated with the Fungal Pathogen <i>Coccidioides immitis</i>.

ABSTRACT: Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal disease affecting humans and other mammals caused by environmental pathogens of the genus Coccidioides. Human exposure to the pathogen occurs via inhalation of spores aerosolized from soil. Thus, understanding the ecological factors that shape the distribution of Coccidioides in soils is important for minimizing the risk of human exposure, though this task remains challenging due to the pathogen's highly variable spatial distribution. Here, we examined the associations between the soil microbial community and Coccidioides immitis' presence within the Carrizo Plain National Monument, a minimally disturbed grassland ecosystem, and the site of a longitudinal study examining the effects of rodents and their burrows on C. immitis' prese

SUBMITTER: Radosevich M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12028473 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature