title: Large-Scale Land Development, Fugitive Dust, and Increased Coccidioidomycosis Incidence in the Antelope Valley of California, 1999-2014.
abstract: Ongoing large-scale land development for renewable energy projects in the Antelope Valley, located in the Western Mojave Desert, has been blamed for increased fugitive dust emissions and coccidioidomycosis incidence among the general public in recent years. Soil samples were collected at six sites that were destined for solar farm construction and were analyzed for the presence of the soil-borne fungal pathogen Coccidioides immitis which is endemic to many areas of central and southern California. We used a modified culture-independent nested PCR approach to identify the pathogen in all soil samples and also compared the sampling sites in regard to soil physical and chemical parameters, degree of disturbance, and vegetation. Our results indicated the presence of C. immitis at four of the six sites, predominantly in non-disturbed soils of the Pond-Oban complex, which are characterized by an elevated pH and salt bush communities, but also in grassland characterized by different soil parameters and covered with native and non-native annuals. Overall, we were able to detect the pathogen in 40% of the soil samples (n = 42). Incidence of coccidioidomycosis in the Antelope Valley was positively correlated with land use and particulate matter in the air (PM10) (Pearson correlation coefficient >0.5). With the predicted population growth and ongoing large-scale disturbance of soil in the Antelope Valley in coming years, incidence of coccidioidomycosis will likely further increase if policy makers and land developers continue to ignore the risk of grading land without implementing long-term dust mitigation plans in Environmental Impact Reports.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, California State University Bakersfield (CSUB), 9001 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, CA, 93311-1022, USA.
authors.forename: Aaron J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Colson
authors.affiliation: Bureau of Land Management, Bakersfield Field Office, 3801 Pegasus Drive, Bakersfield, CA, 93308, USA.
authors.forename: Larry
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vredenburgh
authors.affiliation: County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, 600 S. Commonwealth Ave, Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA, 90005, USA.
authors.forename: Ramon E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Guevara
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, California State University Bakersfield (CSUB), 9001 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, CA, 93311-1022, USA.
authors.forename: Natalia P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Rangel
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, California State University Bakersfield (CSUB), 9001 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, CA, 93311-1022, USA.
authors.forename: Carl T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Kloock
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, California State University Bakersfield (CSUB), 9001 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, CA, 93311-1022, USA. alauer@csub.edu.
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lauer
mesh_terms: D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D003045:Coccidioides / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003047:Coccidioidomycosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004391:Dust; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D004391:Dust
keywords: Coccidioidomycosis; Fugitive dust; Mojave Desert; Renewable energy; Soil