we treated a farmer from the Sacramento area who had coccidioidomycosis meningitis, also known as valley fever. Stockton, California, was ground zero for the disease. It is carried by airborne dust particles that settle into the lungs, causing a pneumonia-like infection that can develop into an inflammation of the brain’s lining. The treatment involves a lumbar spinal tap that allows medicine to be injected into the spinal canal daily, a very invasive regimen requiring a long stay in the hospital.
