New Mexicans could be at higher risk of Valley fever, according to new Los Alamos study

Valley fever may be more prevalent in the state than previously believed, a newly published study authored by New Mexico scientists found.

On average, 86 cases of valley fever are reported in New Mexico each year, relatively few compared to neighboring Arizona and California. But the new study suggests the fungus-caused illness may be underreported or misdiagnosed.

In the first comprehensive study of valley fever in the state, researchers examined 300 soil samples, dead rodents from museum collections and past case data, and found that New Mexicans could be among the most at–risk populations for valley fever in the country.

Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Morgan Gorris hopes the study published in the journal “Pathogens” this June will raise awareness of the disease. Increased awareness of the disease among physicians and the public leads to faster diagnosis of valley fever, Gorris said, and an early diagnosis can help in serious cases.

“Just the population knowing that this is a risk for New Mexicans and that this is a disease that’s commonly associated with dust, and we had a crazy spring dust storm season, that will help us mitigate the negative health impacts of this disease,” Gorris said.

Valley fever is a lung infection caused by coccidioides, a fungus that lives in soil and that is typically found in Mexico, Central and South America and the Southwest. The fungus has also been identified in Washington.

It grows during wet seasons. Subsequent periods of decreased rainfall dries soil and makes it easier for the fungus to be dispersed.

“Any type of digging in the dirt, or soil disturbance or high wind event basically wafts those spores up along with dust, and that’s when humans or another animal can breathe them in and get sick,” Gorris said.

Gorris is fascinated by the role the environment plays in valley fever cases.

“It’s a disease that’s sensitive to environmental conditions, so there’s this awesome interplay between studying the environment and studying human health. We know that changes in rainfall amounts will change the number of disease cases we see from year to year,” Gorris said.

Some people who breathe in the spores have no symptoms at all, while approximately 5% to 10% of people with valley fever develop serious or long-term lung problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The early symptoms — fever, chills and fatigue — are similar to flu or COVID-19 symptoms, making valley fever easy to misdiagnose, Gorris said.

“We found a very high fatality rate for cases in New Mexico, much higher than Arizona and California, which are the other main endemic areas,” Gorris said. “So this tells me that the severe cases are likely the ones that are getting reported and seeking health care and ultimately ending up in our data.”

In 2023, California reported 9,060 cases and Arizona reported 10,990 cases, according to the CDC — much higher case numbers than New Mexico’s average of 86.

From 2019 to 2023, the number of valley fever cases reported in New Mexico saw a significant increase, jumping from an average of 42 cases per year in 2006-2010 to 164 cases per year, the study found. The relative increase in New Mexico cases was larger than those seen in California and Arizona over a similar time period, although both states saw similar increases.

“In the case data from New Mexico, we see that cases have been increasing in the state, but we have such few case numbers, it’s really hard to attribute why. It could be because we are getting better at diagnosing. It could be because that disease awareness is going up, or it could be another factor, but it’s just a bit too early to say,” Gorris said.

Typically, counties in the western half of the state had more cases per capita than the eastern half of the state, and counties in southwestern New Mexico had the highest case incidence, according to the study. The counties with the highest annual incidence were McKinley, Hidalgo, Luna, De Baca and Grant.

Researchers tested rodents from museum collections and found rodents from Catron, Doña Ana, Sierra and Socorro counties were positive for the fungus.

Dustier parts of the state seem to be most at risk for valley fever, according to Gorris. Those areas are also prone to dust storms, which could expose people to the fungus.

The research was funded by Los Alamos’ Laboratory Directed Research and Development program. LANL worked with the New Mexico Department of Health, the University of New Mexico, New Mexico State University and New Mexico Tech on the study.

Gorris is hopeful the new study will offer a baseline for more research on the illness in New Mexico, especially investigation into where in the state coccidioides is growing.

The case analysis found people who identified as American Indian or Alaska Native in New Mexico had almost two times higher incidence rates than white people.

“And we don’t exactly understand why,” Gorris said.

The finding could be connected to geography or it might be genetically related.

“Now that is a field of research that is relatively new among the valley fever community, looking at those genetic based risk factors. So I think that’s a future area of study as well,” Gorris said.

Cathy Cook covers the federal government for the Albuquerque Journal. Reach her via email at ccook@abqjournal.com.