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Risk of Exposure to Coccidioides spp. in the Temblor Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA), Kern County, CA

The Temblor Mountain Special Recreation Area (SRMA) on the western flank of the San Joaquin Valley, CA, is located in the endemic area of Coccidioides, a fungal pathogen responsible for the increasing incidence of coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever). Recreationists in the SRMA, such as off-highway veh...

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Autores principales: Lauer, Antje, Lopez, Jocelyne Jassiri, Chabolla, Michael, Kloock, Carl
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9964165/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36838483
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11020518
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author Lauer, Antje
Lopez, Jocelyne Jassiri
Chabolla, Michael
Kloock, Carl
author_facet Lauer, Antje
Lopez, Jocelyne Jassiri
Chabolla, Michael
Kloock, Carl
author_sort Lauer, Antje
collection PubMed
description The Temblor Mountain Special Recreation Area (SRMA) on the western flank of the San Joaquin Valley, CA, is located in the endemic area of Coccidioides, a fungal pathogen responsible for the increasing incidence of coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever). Recreationists in the SRMA, such as off-highway vehicle (OHV) drivers and mountain bikers who disturb the soils, are at risk of being exposed to airborne arthroconidia (asexual spores) of the pathogen. To reduce the risk of pathogen exposure for visitors, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to limit recreational activities to areas with a reduced pathogen presence. They envision an official OHV park in the future, by also restricting access to areas with ongoing restoration efforts and by limiting soil erosion in sensitive areas. To investigate which soils in the Temblor SRMA are most likely to support the growth of Coccidioides spp., soil samples were collected over a 3-year period from dominant soil types in a northern and a southern sampling area and analyzed for the pathogen using a culture-independent PCR-based method. In addition, soil pH and electrical conductivity were determined. The results of this study revealed slight genetic variance in the Coccidioides sequences obtained from the soils of the Temblor SRMA. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) could not confirm differences in soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC) between the different soil types investigated and between sites where the pathogen was detected compared to sites where it could not be found. However, the year of sampling appeared to have an influence on observed soil pH and EC, and the presence of the pathogen. Of all dominant soil types investigated, those belonging to the Littlesignal–Cochora association were the least likely to contain the pathogen, whereas soils of the Beam–Panoza–Hillbrick association appeared more supportive. In addition to pointing out OHV areas with lower pathogen exposure risk in the Temblor SRMA, recommendations were made to educate visitors and BLM workers about the risk of contracting Valley fever.
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spelling pubmed-99641652023-02-26 Risk of Exposure to Coccidioides spp. in the Temblor Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA), Kern County, CA Lauer, Antje Lopez, Jocelyne Jassiri Chabolla, Michael Kloock, Carl Microorganisms Article The Temblor Mountain Special Recreation Area (SRMA) on the western flank of the San Joaquin Valley, CA, is located in the endemic area of Coccidioides, a fungal pathogen responsible for the increasing incidence of coccidioidomycosis (Valley fever). Recreationists in the SRMA, such as off-highway vehicle (OHV) drivers and mountain bikers who disturb the soils, are at risk of being exposed to airborne arthroconidia (asexual spores) of the pathogen. To reduce the risk of pathogen exposure for visitors, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plans to limit recreational activities to areas with a reduced pathogen presence. They envision an official OHV park in the future, by also restricting access to areas with ongoing restoration efforts and by limiting soil erosion in sensitive areas. To investigate which soils in the Temblor SRMA are most likely to support the growth of Coccidioides spp., soil samples were collected over a 3-year period from dominant soil types in a northern and a southern sampling area and analyzed for the pathogen using a culture-independent PCR-based method. In addition, soil pH and electrical conductivity were determined. The results of this study revealed slight genetic variance in the Coccidioides sequences obtained from the soils of the Temblor SRMA. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) could not confirm differences in soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC) between the different soil types investigated and between sites where the pathogen was detected compared to sites where it could not be found. However, the year of sampling appeared to have an influence on observed soil pH and EC, and the presence of the pathogen. Of all dominant soil types investigated, those belonging to the Littlesignal–Cochora association were the least likely to contain the pathogen, whereas soils of the Beam–Panoza–Hillbrick association appeared more supportive. In addition to pointing out OHV areas with lower pathogen exposure risk in the Temblor SRMA, recommendations were made to educate visitors and BLM workers about the risk of contracting Valley fever. MDPI 2023-02-17 /pmc/articles/PMC9964165/ /pubmed/36838483 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11020518 Text en © 2023 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Lauer, Antje
Lopez, Jocelyne Jassiri
Chabolla, Michael
Kloock, Carl
Risk of Exposure to Coccidioides spp. in the Temblor Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA), Kern County, CA
title Risk of Exposure to Coccidioides spp. in the Temblor Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA), Kern County, CA
title_full Risk of Exposure to Coccidioides spp. in the Temblor Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA), Kern County, CA
title_fullStr Risk of Exposure to Coccidioides spp. in the Temblor Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA), Kern County, CA
title_full_unstemmed Risk of Exposure to Coccidioides spp. in the Temblor Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA), Kern County, CA
title_short Risk of Exposure to Coccidioides spp. in the Temblor Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA), Kern County, CA
title_sort risk of exposure to coccidioides spp. in the temblor special recreation management area (srma), kern county, ca
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9964165/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36838483
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms11020518
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