Case of coccidioidomycosis in Ireland.

Coccidioidal infection is a well-recognised cause of pulmonary disease in certain parts of the south-western USA, Central and South America; however, it is rarely encountered elsewhere in the world. We describe the case of a previously healthy man presenting to a Dublin hospital with fever, dry cough and chest pain, following a visit to the western USA. Despite treatment with broad-spectrum antimicrobials, the patient developed progressive bilateral pulmonary infiltrates and a large pleural effusion. After extensive investigations including CT, bronchoscopy and pleural fluid analysis, a diagnosis of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis was made. Following the initiation of appropriate antifungal therapy, the patient made a full recovery. This case was of interest due to the rarity of the disease outside its areas of endemicity and the unusual findings associated with its diagnosis. 2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.