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Volume 21, Number 11—November 2015
Research

Coccidioidomycosis among Workers Constructing Solar Power Farms, California, USA, 2011–2014

Jason A. WilkenComments to Author , Gail Sondermeyer, Dennis Shusterman, Jennifer McNary, Duc Vugia, Ann McDowell, Penny Borenstein, Debra Gilliss, Benedict Ancock, Janice Prudhomme1, Deborah Gold, Gayle C. Windham, Lauren Lee, and Barbara L. Materna
Author affiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (J.A. Wilken); California Department of Public Health, Richmond, California, USA (J.A. Wilken, G. Sondermeyer, D. Shusterman, J. McNary, D.J. Vugia, D. Gilliss, B. Ancock, G.C. Windham, L. Lee, B.L. Materna); County of San Luis Obispo Public Health Department, San Luis Obispo, California, USA (A. McDowell, P. Borenstein); California Department of Industrial Relations, Oakland, California, USA (J. Prudhomme, D. Gold)

Main Article

Table 2

Clinical characteristics of 44 coccidioidomycosis patients who worked at 2 solar power–generating facilities, San Luis Obispo County, California, USA, with symptom onset October 2011–April 2014*

Characteristic Value
Visited emergency department, no. (%) 17 (39)
Hospitalized, no. (%) 9 (20)
Length of hospitalization, median no. days (range)
 3 (2–17)
Disseminated disease, no. (%)
 2 (5)
No. days to symptoms from first day at worksite, median (range), n = 43
 105 (10–638)
Symptoms, no. (%), n = 41
Fatigue 41(100)
  Night sweats 39 (95)
  Weakness 38 (93)
  Difficulty breathing 37 (90)
  Fever 35 (85)
  Cough 33 (80)
  Joint or muscle pain 33 (80)
  Weight loss 33 (80)
  Chest pain 29 (71)
  Headache 29 (71)
  Rash or other skin lesions
 24 (59)
Missed work, no. (%), n = 41 34 (83)
Days missed work, median no. (range), n = 34
 22 (1–547)
Diagnosed following first visit to provider, no. (%), n = 41
 9 (22)
No. days to laboratory diagnosis from symptom onset, median (range), n = 43
 23 (5–267)
Frequency of positive laboratory result by diagnostic method, no. (%)
  Complement fixation, immunodiffusion, or tube precipitin 37 (84)
     Complement fixation only 10 (23)
     Immunodiffusion only 10 (23)
     Tube precipitin only 2 (5)
  Immunohistochemistry or culture only
 3 (7)
IgG/IgM enzyme immunoassay only 4 (9)

*Of the 44 patients, 43 were interviewed and 41 completed the interview.

Main Article

1Current affiliation: California Department of Public Health, Richmond, California, USA.

Page created: October 16, 2015
Page updated: October 16, 2015
Page reviewed: October 16, 2015
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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