Pet owners can rejoice as vaccine for nasty infection could be available by next year

Phoenix, Arizona: Pet-owners rejoice, a Valley Fever vaccine for pets may be on its way to a vet near you within a year.

University of Arizona’s Valley Fever Center for Excellence Director Dr John Galgiani, told Arizona's Family:  “That vaccine is now actively being developed as a veterinarian product to prevent Valley Fever."

The infection in animals is caused by the same Coccidioides fungus that affects humans, and it typically occurs when animals inhale the fungal spores from the soil.

Symptoms in dogs are similar to those in humans and may include coughing, fever, lethargy, weight loss, and lameness if the infection spreads to the bones. In some cases, the fungus can spread beyond the lungs to the skin, bones, liver, or brain, causing more severe symptoms like swollen joints, abscesses, or neurological issues.

Diagnosis is typically done through blood tests, X-rays, or sometimes fungal cultures, and treatment often involves long-term use of antifungal medications, like fluconazole or itraconazole, which can last months or even years. Dogs that dig or spend a lot of time outdoors in dry, dusty environments are at a higher risk of exposure.

Galgiani said a Valley Fever vaccine for humans is a bit further away because it’s a higher bar to pass for the USDA. ”For humans, it just costs more, and it should for humans; you want to make sure what you get as a vaccine is safe, but also you want to have very convincing evidence that it works,” Galgiani told Arizona's Family.