Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) Diagnosis and Testing

Laboratory culture of Coccidioides immitis

Healthcare providers rely on your medical history, signs, symptoms, and physical examinations in order to diagnose coccidioidomycosis. Healthcare providers may perform imaging tests such as chest x-rays or CT scans of the lungs to look for pneumonia associated with coccidioidomycosis. They may also perform a tissue biopsy, in which a small sample of affected tissue is taken from the body and examined under a microscope.

Other ways to confirm a diagnosis of coccidioidomycosis include taking samples of blood or other body fluids, such as urine, and sending them to a laboratory to look for Coccidioides antibodies or antigens, or to see if the fungus can be grown from the sample on special nutrient plates.