Coccidioides

American  

[kok-sid-ee-oi-deez] / kɒkˌsɪd iˈɔɪ diz /

noun

Mycology.

1. a genus of fungi, occurring as both mold and yeast, with species especially present in the soil of the southwestern United States and parts of Mexico, Central America, and South America: Breathing in their microscopic spores can cause coccidioidomycosis.

---

Etymology

Origin of Coccidioides

First recorded in 1900–05; coccidi(um) ( def. ) + New Latin -oīdēs, from Greek -oeidēs -oid ( def. )

Example Sentences

English said little attention has yet been paid to his group’s discovery on the site of the soil-dwelling fungus Coccidioides, which causes valley fever.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2024

This may be one way Coccidioides has expanded into the Pacific Northwest from the southwestern states, such as California, Arizona and New Mexico, where it is endemic.

From Scientific American • Sep. 23, 2023

No one knows for sure whether wind is moving Coccidioides north or whether it has been there undisturbed until now.

From Scientific American • Sep. 23, 2023

Coccidioides, the fungus that causes cocci, thrives in rain-soaked soil.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2022

Other fungi, such as Coccidioides immitis, which causes pneumonia when its spores are inhaled, thrive in the dry and sandy soil of the southwestern United States.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015