When was Valley Fever found?

Answer 1

The disease 'Valley Fever' is a severe and sometimes fatal infection, usually of the lung, but has also been found in other parts of the body. The first reported case in the United States (and possibly the first thoroughly reported case in the world) was in the 1890's. Although relatively rare, there have been serious outbreaks from time to time.

KEY DATES IN THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE FUNGUS WHICH CAUSES VALLEY FEVER:

• The suspected cause of Valley Fever first became apparent in the years prior to the issue of a doctor's official report on the matter in 1892.

• The presence of such an organism was confirmed by research and experiments, and reported in 1896.

• In 1900 the offending organism was identified as being fungal in nature.

Since the 1890's Valley Fever has been the subject of major scientific investigations, including detailed genetic research from the 1990's onwards. These more recent studies have revealed that there are actually two species of fungus which cause Valley Fever, Coccidioides immiti and Coccidioides posadasii.

In view of the ongoing nature and continual review of scientific/medical research it is difficult to pinpoint a particular date when the identity of one or other of these two organisms was first determined.

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Answer 2

Karl Friedrich Meyer was very interested in infectious disease of humans and animals. He was the first to describe this disease and to identify its cause.

Answer 3

Dr. John Galgiani,Dr. Demosthenes Pappagianis,Dr. Garry Cole,Dr. Rebecca Cox, and Dr. Theo Kirkland have been or had done work on valley fever. They have been hoping to perfect a vaccine.

Answer 4

Valley fever was discovered in the late 1940s after an earthquake in California

Answer 5

Valley fever was first noticed around 1919.