Definition:

Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii are two endemic dimorphic fungal pathogens that cause coccidioidomycosis, also called ballet fever, and are found in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Pulmonary symptoms are the most common features. Nearly all cases of coccidioidal pneumonia are self-limited. Infection is caused by inhalation of spores that aerosolizes from disruptions of the soil.