Clinical Testing Guidance for Coccidioidomycosis, Histoplasmosis, and Blastomycosis in Patients With Community-Acquired Pneumonia for Primary and Urgent Care Providers
Dallas J. Smith, Rebecca J. Free, George R. Thompson, John W. Baddley, Peter G. Pappas, Kaitlin Benedict, Jeremy A.W. Gold, Endemic Mycoses Diagnostic Algorithm Subject Matter Expert Group, David R. Andes, Robert W. Bradsher, Mark H. Ebell, Andrej Spec, Nathan C. Bahr, Carol A. Kauffman, Timothy Mott, Michael Saccente, Janis E. Blair, John N. Galgiani, Royce H. Johnson, Richard W. Rutherford, Lisa A Tushla, Tom Chiller, Brendan R. Jackson, Mitsuru Toda
Abstract
Coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, and blastomycosis are underrecognized and frequently misdiagnosed fungal infections that can clinically resemble bacterial and viral community-acquired pneumonia. This guidance is intended to help outpatient clinicians test for these fungal diseases in patients with community-acquired pneumonia to reduce misdiagnoses, unnecessary antibacterial use, and poor outcomes.