<i>Coccidioides</i> genomes from low-incidence states reveal complex migration history across the western United States.

ABSTRACT: Coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever), caused by the fungal pathogen Coccidioides, is increasing in incidence across the western United States and parts of the Americas. However, genomic data from low-incidence regions remain scarce, limiting our understanding of the pathogen's dispersal and evolution. To address this gap, we prospectively collected Coccidioides-positive clinical isolates submitted to a national diagnostic laboratory between January 2023 and November 2024. We performed whole-genome sequencing on 27 clinical isolates from Utah, Colorado, and Nevada-states with no previously available Coccidioides genomes-and sequenced an additional 22 isolates from California. For Utah patients, we also reviewed medical records to assess potential travel history. Among the

SUBMITTER: Fonseca EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12671215 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature