Use of Dog Serologic Data for Improved Understanding of Coccidioidomycosis: A One Health Approach.

J Infect Dis. June 2025;231(5):e986 - e995.

Jane E Sykes¹, Simon K Camponuri², Amanda K Weaver³, George R Thompson⁴, Justin V Remais⁵

¹ School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.; ² Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.; ³ Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.; ⁴ Center for Valley Fever, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.; ⁵ Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.

© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever) occurs when animals and humans inhale spores of Coccidioides spp, soil-dwelling fungi of the southwestern United States (US). The spatial epidemiology of coccidioidomycosis is poorly understood due to irregular detection of Coccidioides in soil, disease underdiagnosis, and lack of nationwide mandatory reporting. Data on seroreactivity to Coccidioides among dogs-which are highly susceptible to coccidioidomycosis, widespread across the US, and have limited travel-may strengthen our understanding human disease risk.

METHODS:We analyzed serologic test results for 834 899 dogs between 2012 and 2022 from all known diagnostic laboratories conducting serologic testing for anti-Coccidioides antibodies in dogs in the US. We used testing date and county-level location data to estimate spatial and temporal trends in incidence and test positivity for dogs and compared them to human surveillance data.

RESULTS:The overall seropositivity rate among tested dogs was 37.6% (313 829/834 899). Average test positivity rates in states with ≥0.5 tests per annum per 10 000 households were 35.4% (Texas) to 74.1% (Montana). For these states, average annual incidence per 10 000 households was as follows: Arizona (86.8), New Mexico (0.89), Nevada (0.78), California (0.75), Montana (0.63), Colorado (0.41), Oregon (0.41), Texas (0.38), Idaho (0.37), Wyoming (0.34), Utah (0.32), and Washington (0.26). Human incidence in California and Arizona between 2012 and 2022 was significantly correlated with dog incidence (ρ = 0.75 and ρ = 0.65, respectively). The distribution of seropositive dogs expanded from 76 of 3144 counties (2.4%) in 2012 to 390 in 2022 (12.4%).

CONCLUSIONS:Further investment in human diagnostic infrastructure and provider knowledge may ameliorate significant underrecognition of this emerging fungal disease.

Keywords

Coccidioides; Valley fever; climate; endemic mycoses; fungal;

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Grants:

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
R01 AI148336 AI NIAID NIH HHS
R01 AI176770 AI NIAID NIH HHS
R01AI148336 NH NIH HHS
R01AI176770 NH NIH HHS

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