Defining the Geographic Areas of Dimorphic Fungi in the United States

Blastomyces, Coccidioides, and Histoplasma are dimorphic fungi that have endemic ranges within the United States. These geographical ranges have previously been defined by skin test studies performed in the 1950s and by outbreak and case reports. Several years ago, researchers used Medicare data to show that the endemic ranges for these mycoses might be larger and less defined than previously recognized. Now, they have updated and expanded their analysis to adults of all ages.

Using a commercial database that involved 21 million U.S. adults covered by private health insurance between 2007 and 2016, the researchers identified cases of mycosis from ICD-9 and ICD-10 diagnostic codes and then constructed maps using Metropolitan Statistica…