One more from the Mayo Clinic- Airborne fungi (Valley Fever)

A friend of ours just had a brother diagnosed with this- YEARS after living in the San Joaquin valley where it's known to be.
A large number of people who attended a trade show in Las Vegas became sick and Valley Fever was determined to be the cause, from them being in a dust storm while there.



http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/valley-fever/DS00695


"If you don't become ill from valley fever, you may only learn that you've been infected when you later have a positive skin or blood test. Small areas of residual infection (nodules) in the lungs that show up on a routine chest X-ray may also be found. Although the nodules typically don't cause problems, they can look like cancer on X-ray, leading to biopsies."

Chronic coccidioidomycosis
Appearing as many as 20 years after the initial infection, chronic pneumonia due to coccidioidomycosis is most common in people with diabetes or weakened immune systems. You're likely to have periods of worsening symptoms alternating with periods of recovery. Signs and symptoms are similar to those of tuberculosis:

Low-grade fever
Weight loss
Cough
Chest pain
Blood-tinged sputum
Nodules in the lungs
Disseminated coccidioidomycosis
The most serious form of the disease, disseminated coccidioidomycosis occurs when the infection spreads (disseminates) beyond the lungs to other parts of the body. Most often these parts include the skin, bones, liver, brain, heart, and the membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord (meninges).

The signs and symptoms of disseminated disease depend on which parts of your body are affected and may include:

Nodules, ulcers and skin lesions that are more serious than the rash that sometimes occurs with other forms of the disease
Painful lesions in the skull, spine or other bones
Painful, swollen joints, especially in the knees or ankles
Meningitis — an infection of the membranes and fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord and the most deadly complication of valley fever

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