{"id":78247,"date":"2024-11-12T17:01:22","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T17:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com"},"modified":"2025-02-11T19:33:43","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T19:33:43","slug":"the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic","status":"publish","type":"wpm-article","link":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic","title":{"rendered":"The Making Of A New American Epidemic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>ST. GEORGE, Utah \u2014&nbsp;At the peripheries of one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the U.S., the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scienceforconservation.org\/assets\/downloads\/MojaveLandUseChangePaper_Final.pdf\">drought-stricken Mojave Desert<\/a> is being consumed, one heaping scoop of red earth at a time.<\/p><div>\n    <iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"noa-web-audio-player\"\n            style=\"border: none\"\n            src=\"https:\/\/embed-player.newsoveraudio.com\/v4?key=n0e13g&#038;id=https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/&#038;bgColor=F3F3F3&#038;color=6D6D6D&#038;progressBgColor=F7F7F7&#038;progressBorderColor=6D6D6D&#038;playColor=F3F3F3&#038;titleColor=383D3D&#038;timeColor=6D6D6D&#038;speedColor=6D6D6D&#038;noaLinkColor=6D6D6D&#038;noaLinkHighlightColor=039BE5\"\n            width=\"100%\" height=\"110px\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><p>The rich habitat of the <a href=\"https:\/\/ipac.ecosphere.fws.gov\/\">threatened Mojave desert tortoise<\/a> is being excavated to make space for new developments, including luxury resorts and so-called master-planned communities with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sltrib.com\/news\/2023\/08\/15\/water-traffic-visitors-how-2\/\">golf courses<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.desertcolorresort.com\">water features<\/a>. Meanwhile, a rapidly warming climate has increased the intensity of Utah\u2019s droughts and the dust storms that accompany them. Dust from construction sites blows into homes, covering counters and floors; some residents develop mysterious coughs and pneumonia.<\/p><p>Here, like in much of the arid American West, <a href=\"https:\/\/methods.sciencefriday.com\/valley-fever\">Valley fever<\/a> is on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/valley-fever\/php\/statistics\/index.html\">rise<\/a>. The fungal infection, which is caused by inhaling spores found in soil and dust, is little discussed and often misdiagnosed, but it is a frequent cause of pneumonia and occasionally results in infection that spreads beyond the lungs, and sometimes, into the <a href=\"https:\/\/health.ucdavis.edu\/valley-fever\/about-valley-fever\/clinical-manifestations\/coccidioidal-meningitis\/index.html\">brain<\/a>. In some cases, Valley fever can be deadly.<\/p><p>Construction workers and farm workers whose work brings them close to dust, are on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/valley-fever\/background#:~:text=Valley%20Fever%20Outbreaks%20in%20Workers&amp;text=Any%20work%20activity%20that%20disturbs,%2C%20geologists%2C%20and%20wildland%20firefighters.\">front lines<\/a> of this epidemic, with little means to protect themselves. Yet we have only a vague understanding of where the fungus is now, much less how the rapid transformation of southwestern landscapes by both development and climate change will change who is at risk of infection. Unfamiliar diseases are appearing in new places, forcing patients to chase diagnoses and proper medical care.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-searching-for-a-diagnosis\">Searching For A Diagnosis<\/h2><p>In July 2018, Kathy Allen returned to her home in southwestern Utah from a trip to Europe with a horrible cough. By the end of the month, she was coughing so much that she went to a health clinic. She was told that she had bronchitis, and then pneumonia, and was prescribed amoxicillin, an antibiotic, ineffective for fungal infections, and a nebulizer to help clear her airways. But her cough continued, and her lungs felt \u201ctight and heavy.\u201d<\/p><p>In October, a pulmonologist found spots on her lungs and prescribed her more antibiotics. In December, imaging showed \u201chot active cancer\u201d in her lymph nodes. In January 2019, she recalls a thoracic surgeon in northern Utah told her: \u201cYou have cancer. This needs to be resolved.\u201d He drew a picture of the spots on her lungs and told her he would go into her lungs and cut those spots out.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Just two weeks before her lung surgery, Allen spoke with a close friend, a doctor, who recently also had lung surgery. She warned Allen that her surgery scars \u201cfelt like a burning knife, in her back, every day\u201d and suggested Allen seek a second opinion, Allen later recalled. Allen called the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, where she remembers being asked by the woman on the line: \u201cWouldn\u2019t you much rather know where the cancer is coming from and know how to treat it before you have surgery? Let\u2019s get you scheduled.\u201d<\/p><p>Four days later, a pulmonologist ran a battery of tests and conducted a bronchoscopy \u2014&nbsp;a procedure that enables doctors to examine airways in the lungs using a small scope. When she came to, Allen learned that she didn\u2019t have cancer. She was thrilled. Instead, she learned that she had tested positive for the emerging fungal disease known as Valley fever.&nbsp;<\/p><!-- Content Image Block Template -->\n<div class=\"\n  content-image\n  content-image--full_width  \">\n\n  <div class=\"content-image__container\">\n\n    <!-- Main Image -->\n    <div class=\"content-image__main-wrapper\">\n\n              <div class=\"aspect-ratio-wrapper\">\n              <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2100\" height=\"1181\" src=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Untitled-4.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=513aea0a15846355eac3211064732c20\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Untitled-4.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=169&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=300&amp;wpsize=medium&amp;s=c1d26b3fa68e507378a284dfd6446ac0 300w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Untitled-4.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=512&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1024&amp;wpsize=noema-social-twitter&amp;s=52776246a2dba256c209b9c69eef1213 1024w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Untitled-4.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=432&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=768&amp;wpsize=medium_large&amp;s=e154dd4af94427ceb6d8f38a68960b4c 768w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Untitled-4.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=511&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=767&amp;wpsize=noema-listing-tile&amp;s=5a82355f5c4f4cfc1dffafb6ecd8b8c7 767w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Untitled-4.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=675&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1200&amp;wpsize=post-thumbnail&amp;s=51494bd080de42ade78e85c89acd057f 1200w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Untitled-4.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=864&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1536&amp;wpsize=1536x1536&amp;s=3752ff71cdf324dcaec03d99722fd541 1536w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Untitled-4.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1152&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=2048&amp;wpsize=2048x2048&amp;s=e5b30309caa1d7472c0f736d58eccaf5 2048w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Untitled-4.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1114&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1980&amp;wpsize=twentytwenty-fullscreen&amp;s=49712a2dd40ef411acb8f66a9c3dfe46 1980w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Untitled-4.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=337&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=600&amp;wpsize=woocommerce_single&amp;s=11758a81d4899b8e4627cc96ba3ebf16 600w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Untitled-4.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=513aea0a15846355eac3211064732c20 2100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2100px) 100vw, 2100px\" \/>        <div class=\"content-image__overlay content-image__overlay-0\">\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"content-image__captions\">\n        <div class=\"content-image__main-caption\">\n          \n      <figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n        <div>Red Cliffs Desert Reserve in Ivins, Utah. (Katharine Walter\/Noema Magazine)<\/div>\n      <\/figcaption>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n      <\/div>\n\n\n<\/div><!-- Content Image Block Template -->\n<div class=\"\n  content-image\n  content-image--double_image  \">\n\n  <div class=\"content-image__container\">\n\n    <!-- Main Image -->\n    <div class=\"content-image__main-wrapper\">\n\n            <div class=\"\">\n              <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine6-scaled.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=8f2e55433460ae46de75e7dabd7d0fcd\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine6-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=225&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=300&amp;wpsize=medium&amp;s=b233f660655f8dc7b2d2dab92b519ad6 300w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine6-scaled.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=512&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1024&amp;wpsize=noema-social-twitter&amp;s=21fbc566e2b3745fc8ec2fb0b3a7b844 1024w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine6-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=576&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=768&amp;wpsize=medium_large&amp;s=8c406a6096f942ed547dd1a8b4012f17 768w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine6-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=900&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1200&amp;wpsize=post-thumbnail&amp;s=030dd7ace47a7185a0e19464855f2f90 1200w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine6-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1152&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1536&amp;wpsize=1536x1536&amp;s=da72faebcabe4bfca3f432517c3a2ba1 1536w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine6-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1536&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=2048&amp;wpsize=2048x2048&amp;s=a747e7349ad573ece6d976867dda42e1 2048w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine6-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1485&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1980&amp;wpsize=twentytwenty-fullscreen&amp;s=1fa648df19c0a081b95b733bbbf30836 1980w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine6-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=450&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=600&amp;wpsize=woocommerce_single&amp;s=7735476827210191afe0427ab4fe563a 600w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine6-scaled.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=8f2e55433460ae46de75e7dabd7d0fcd 2560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>        <div class=\"content-image__overlay content-image__overlay-0\">\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n          <!-- Secondary image. Only for 'Double Image' option -->\n      <div class=\"content-image__secondary-wrapper\">\n\n        <!-- <div class=\"aspect-ratio-wrapper\"> -->\n        <div class=\"\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine7-scaled.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=a6da7e8c70971d6679693c6bb9ae00f6\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine7-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=225&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=300&amp;wpsize=medium&amp;s=2af84cf406d59715510798e6fc573077 300w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine7-scaled.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=512&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1024&amp;wpsize=noema-social-twitter&amp;s=ca9ee90cb3c6377394b5bd264dee68bb 1024w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine7-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=576&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=768&amp;wpsize=medium_large&amp;s=e0a7672f5316c5e3af41dc7f4d722b7c 768w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine7-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=900&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1200&amp;wpsize=post-thumbnail&amp;s=15804ee4a51fa200cb2f4530d242cef3 1200w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine7-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1152&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1536&amp;wpsize=1536x1536&amp;s=8efdf93b46bcacd029ba71f05282aaee 1536w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine7-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1536&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=2048&amp;wpsize=2048x2048&amp;s=aaedc78882d429e45cedc8b274cdd5b7 2048w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine7-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1485&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1980&amp;wpsize=twentytwenty-fullscreen&amp;s=0da4ae7e72cbe65e2cbace65cda6fe86 1980w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine7-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=450&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=600&amp;wpsize=woocommerce_single&amp;s=7a0b2bb640238b454eec90a43bdae07d 600w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine7-scaled.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=a6da7e8c70971d6679693c6bb9ae00f6 2560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>          <div class=\"content-image__overlay content-image__overlay-0\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n      <\/div>\n\n      <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"content-image__captions\">\n        <div class=\"content-image__main-caption\">\n          \n      <figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n        <div>Left: Golfers at the PGA tournament at Black Desert Resort, Ivins, Utah. (Diane, resident of St. George\/Noema Magazine) Right: Dust on a windy day in St. George, Utah. (Diane, resident of St. George\/Noema Magazine)<\/div>\n      <\/figcaption>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n      <\/div>\n\n\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-transformation-of-st-george\">The Transformation Of St. George<\/h2><p>Five years before she got sick, Allen moved to Washington City, Utah, a small town on the outskirts of St. George. Allen spent lots of time outside, taking frequent neighborhood walks that passed by construction sites. \u201cThe whole hill was being developed. The dust was heavy in my home, located just below where all the construction was. I was cleaning dust every day off of counters and floors,\u201d she told me.<\/p><p>Allen became friends with a woman named Diane, who also endured an excruciating search for the cause of her symptoms before finally being diagnosed with Valley fever. Diane insisted on anonymity out of fear of legal reprisals. A relatively recent arrival to the area, Diane moved from Salt Lake City to St. George in the summer of 2020 for the milder weather.<\/p><p>\u201cWe didn&#8217;t want to shovel snow anymore. And my folks lived down here,\u201d Diane told me. She too talked about the dust. \u201cThey\u2019re building a brand-new home right next to us in the red dirt, been doing that for a year,\u201d Diane told me. \u201cWhen the wind blows, yeah, it creates dust in my house.\u201d<\/p><!-- Quote Block Template -->\n\n<figure class=\"quote\">\n\n  <blockquote class=\"quote__container\">\n\n    <div class=\"quote__text\">\n      \u201cDust from construction sites blows into homes, covering counters and floors; meanwhile, some residents develop mysterious coughs and pneumonia.\u201d    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <div class=\"quote__social-media\">\n      <div\n        class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_35 a2a_default_style\"\n        data-a2a-url=\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wpm-article\/78247\"\n        data-a2a-title='\u201cDust from construction sites blows into homes, covering counters and floors; meanwhile, some residents develop mysterious coughs and pneumonia.\u201d'\n      >\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_facebook\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_twitter\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_email\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/blockquote>\n<\/figure><p>A few months after we spoke on Zoom, Diane invited me to her home so she could show me the dust plumes herself. I\u2019d arrived in Utah in September 2022 for an epidemiology position at the University of Utah and had <a href=\"https:\/\/uofuhealth.utah.edu\/newsroom\/news\/2024\/04\/hunting-underground-epidemic\">begun to study<\/a> Valley fever. During graduate school, I studied Lyme disease \u2014 another zoonotic disease, transmitted between animals and humans, that was also dramatically <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/climate-indicators\/climate-change-indicators-lyme-disease\">increasing<\/a> in incidence due to environmental changes \u2014 in this case, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/health\/2024\/06\/23\/lyme-disease-map-states\/74088995007\/\">mostly<\/a> in New England and the Midwest.<\/p><p>As Diane pointed out open construction sites \u2014 possible sources of her infection \u2014 on a neighborhood drive, I was reminded of conversations I\u2019d had with locals while doing field research on Lyme disease on the East Coast. Again and again, I was told that New England summers had not always been the season of tick bites and Lyme disease that they are now. The risk and fear of Lyme disease \u2014 like Valley fever \u2014 was relatively recent.<\/p><p>St. George is the largest city in Washington County, a county that has the highest rate of Valley fever infection in the state. Known as a \u201cgateway to Zion National Park,\u201d the city is famous for its red rocks, proximity to national parks, and stunning sunsets. St. George is also the hottest city in Utah and has broken July heat records two years in a row.<\/p><p>This July, the average high temperature was 107.9 degrees, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kuer.org\/science-environment\/2024-08-06\/for-the-2nd-straight-year-st-george-had-its-hottest-july-on-record\">six degrees<\/a> hotter than the average July high from 1991 to 2020. Despite the heat, the county\u2019s population has <a href=\"https:\/\/fred.stlouisfed.org\/series\/UTWASH3POP\">quadrupled<\/a> since 1990, increasing from about 49,000 people to more than 200,000. Fueling the increase has been a flurry of luxury housing developments\u2014many advertising themselves as <a href=\"https:\/\/desertcolor.com\/\">sustainable<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.utahbusiness.com\/building-development\/2024\/02\/07\/why-are-master-planned-communities-taking-utah-by-storm\/\">communities<\/a> \u2014 golf courses and a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sltrib.com\/news\/environment\/2022\/12\/11\/builders-new-water-park-utah\/https:\/www.sltrib.com\/news\/environment\/2022\/12\/11\/builders-new-water-park-utah\/\">water park<\/a>.<\/p><p>Many come here for dirt biking and ATV riding, generating major soil disturbances that have been <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC7432779\/\">linked<\/a> to Valley fever <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/cid\/ciu681\">outbreaks<\/a>. Many, like Allen and Diane, come to retire, making the area around St. George also older than much of Utah, and more likely to be on immunosuppressing drugs, and generally more vulnerable to infections, due to a phenomenon known as <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC9261375\/\">immunosenescence<\/a>.<\/p><p>This made St. George the perfect place to study how development and climate change collectively impact the risk of infection. About a year after I arrived in Utah, I drove south on I-15 with a dust scientist, in an SUV packed with N95s and soup ladles repurposed for soil collection. We were closely followed by a pair of mammalogists in a truck stocked with a few hundred rodent traps. Somewhere below the area\u2019s glowing cliffs, temple steeples and hillsides scattered with rocks, including one with the letter \u201cD\u201d for Dixie State University (renamed Utah Tech University in 2022), we expected to find the Valley fever fungus.<\/p><!-- Content Image Block Template -->\n<div class=\"\n  content-image\n  content-image--full_width  \">\n\n  <div class=\"content-image__container\">\n\n    <!-- Main Image -->\n    <div class=\"content-image__main-wrapper\">\n\n              <div class=\"aspect-ratio-wrapper\">\n              <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/DSC_0186-copy-1-scaled.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=1b7e131ba4873efb5cc0ab74bf813099\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/DSC_0186-copy-1-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=200&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=300&amp;wpsize=medium&amp;s=514fb3c7262ff73eb2fec713211227d2 300w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/DSC_0186-copy-1-scaled.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=512&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1024&amp;wpsize=noema-social-twitter&amp;s=b33d77494de75c4c1bee835c770782f0 1024w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/DSC_0186-copy-1-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=512&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=768&amp;wpsize=medium_large&amp;s=0f82c286bf9e07a3e24e446eae74b8ae 768w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/DSC_0186-copy-1-scaled.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=511&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=767&amp;wpsize=noema-listing-tile&amp;s=84717da6a8fe914c0717b22c09d0aae7 767w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/DSC_0186-copy-1-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=800&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1200&amp;wpsize=post-thumbnail&amp;s=b2c0c29127ed5a403ae69399e043410f 1200w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/DSC_0186-copy-1-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1024&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1536&amp;wpsize=1536x1536&amp;s=c760dd10de477504f126910201cbadfa 1536w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/DSC_0186-copy-1-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1366&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=2048&amp;wpsize=2048x2048&amp;s=24843d4c0f1e222b6f74ba37adf36d6b 2048w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/DSC_0186-copy-1-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1320&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1980&amp;wpsize=twentytwenty-fullscreen&amp;s=6848817dafc4895239e76fbd409d6914 1980w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/DSC_0186-copy-1-scaled.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=400&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=600&amp;wpsize=woocommerce_single&amp;s=c5b3fb729e28b38a0f1e343dfd2393fa 600w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/DSC_0186-copy-1-scaled.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=1b7e131ba4873efb5cc0ab74bf813099 2560w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/>        <div class=\"content-image__overlay content-image__overlay-0\">\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"content-image__captions\">\n        <div class=\"content-image__main-caption\">\n          \n      <figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n        <div>Katharine Walter collecting soil samples from rodent burrows. (Kailey Jane Mahoney\/Noema Magazine)<\/div>\n      <\/figcaption>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n      <\/div>\n\n\n<\/div><!-- Content Image Block Template -->\n<div class=\"\n  content-image\n  content-image--double_image  \">\n\n  <div class=\"content-image__container\">\n\n    <!-- Main Image -->\n    <div class=\"content-image__main-wrapper\">\n\n            <div class=\"\">\n              <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2100\" height=\"1181\" src=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine4.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=9b0e391bc455b9bb68affc2e9d65c940\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine4.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=169&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=300&amp;wpsize=medium&amp;s=0efc2a2aeedeee49520be9b188a97204 300w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine4.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=512&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1024&amp;wpsize=noema-social-twitter&amp;s=81e640008e9208e02fd9202c7336cf30 1024w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine4.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=432&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=768&amp;wpsize=medium_large&amp;s=3c97ce1e1842e57c813d4bdf3376b0b9 768w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine4.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=511&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=767&amp;wpsize=noema-listing-tile&amp;s=489f777ab99dad84fc36ee668650f052 767w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine4.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=675&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1200&amp;wpsize=post-thumbnail&amp;s=8cfbbb39c6e59603c33c54ee5b8c31c7 1200w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine4.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=864&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1536&amp;wpsize=1536x1536&amp;s=d27f62cf04c2e5c625a40d90a4e337a4 1536w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine4.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1152&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=2048&amp;wpsize=2048x2048&amp;s=18d4b8076f29d280838ba536109f8caa 2048w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine4.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1114&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1980&amp;wpsize=twentytwenty-fullscreen&amp;s=4b3b09215576f59b39912765c297640d 1980w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine4.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=337&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=600&amp;wpsize=woocommerce_single&amp;s=a61368a12e4033abb182931d2ec02883 600w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine4.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=9b0e391bc455b9bb68affc2e9d65c940 2100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2100px) 100vw, 2100px\" \/>        <div class=\"content-image__overlay content-image__overlay-0\">\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n          <!-- Secondary image. Only for 'Double Image' option -->\n      <div class=\"content-image__secondary-wrapper\">\n\n        <!-- <div class=\"aspect-ratio-wrapper\"> -->\n        <div class=\"\">\n          <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2100\" height=\"1181\" src=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine5.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=7efd9c5eba5f559c41e4ce09e2be55e1\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine5.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=169&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=300&amp;wpsize=medium&amp;s=d43cc9c0999e92c12487d2cf989f5bce 300w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine5.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=512&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1024&amp;wpsize=noema-social-twitter&amp;s=66f26850591021af39a74dbecc428256 1024w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine5.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=432&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=768&amp;wpsize=medium_large&amp;s=2f88564e9654c24644ccd37fcfc49474 768w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine5.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=511&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=767&amp;wpsize=noema-listing-tile&amp;s=fa57b9d733145a2db4f1a6449821f749 767w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine5.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=675&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1200&amp;wpsize=post-thumbnail&amp;s=13cc8afdc81aa1189c9e2b3ce42c3b0f 1200w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine5.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=864&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1536&amp;wpsize=1536x1536&amp;s=4c5a9502e05b3bd3eee3afc6cd16eaed 1536w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine5.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1152&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=2048&amp;wpsize=2048x2048&amp;s=6409fb7cf28a88111beeffe9089a3187 2048w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine5.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1114&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1980&amp;wpsize=twentytwenty-fullscreen&amp;s=523a4ce0787e4bf2a5cdf323a3d8ca6a 1980w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine5.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=337&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=600&amp;wpsize=woocommerce_single&amp;s=069ebcd03b5ef6fa4b4eb7725773ddce 600w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine5.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=7efd9c5eba5f559c41e4ce09e2be55e1 2100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2100px) 100vw, 2100px\" \/>          <div class=\"content-image__overlay content-image__overlay-0\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n\n      <\/div>\n\n      <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"content-image__captions\">\n        <div class=\"content-image__main-caption\">\n          \n      <figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n        <div>Left: Katrina Derieg documenting rodent diversity. (Katharine Walter\/Noema Magazine) Right: Eric Rickart and Katrina Derieg in the mammal processing field tent. (Katharine Walter\/Noema Magazine)<\/div>\n      <\/figcaption>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n      <\/div>\n\n\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-searching-for-fungi\">Searching For Fungi<\/h2><p>Shortly after 8 a.m. on a Sunday last October, Katrina Derieg picked up a narrow shoebox-sized metal box, a Sherman rodent trap used by biologists to capture small mammals alive, and peeked inside. \u201cDeer mouse!\u201d\u2014 the morning\u2019s third. A hapless white-tailed antelope squirrel had wandered into a trap the night before, just minutes after Derieg, the vertebrate collections manager at the Natural History Museum of Utah, had set them. Derieg had supplied food \u2014 peanut butter and oatmeal \u2014 and toilet paper, so the squirrel could create a nest and stay warm through the high desert\u2019s cool night.<\/p><p>We were following one of Derieg\u2019s trap lines \u2014 40 traps set along a transect on a mesa above Santa Clara, Utah, a few miles southwest of Diane\u2019s house. Each time Derieg spotted a closed trap, she would call out the species: \u201cKangaroo rat \u2014 cutie! I knew we\u2019d find a kangaroo rat here.\u201d As we walked through the twiggy black brush and taller creosote bushes, many still with star-shaped yellow flowers, the morning light hit the red cliffs before us.&nbsp;<\/p><p>The dogma has long been that the fungus that causes Valley fever is soil-dwelling and that humans and other mammals are so-called accidental hosts, dead ends from the fungus\u2019 perspective. In the soil, it grows as mycelia \u2014 long, invisible threads that can break off into single-celled infectious spores, get churned into dust clouds, and inhaled by humans and other animals.<\/p><p>The two largest known <a href=\"http:\/\/doi.org\/10.3201\/eid2403.170623\">outbreaks<\/a> of Valley fever were associated with historic dust storms: the 1977 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2014\/01\/20\/death-dust\">Tempest from Tehachapi<\/a>, a dust storm in California\u2019s Central Valley; and the plumes of dust caused by <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/9062329\/\">landslides<\/a> from the 1994 Northridge earthquake in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles.<\/p><!-- Quote Block Template -->\n\n<figure class=\"quote\">\n\n  <blockquote class=\"quote__container\">\n\n    <div class=\"quote__text\">\n      \u201cSt. George [was] the perfect place to study how development and climate change collectively impact the risk of infection.\u201d    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <div class=\"quote__social-media\">\n      <div\n        class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_35 a2a_default_style\"\n        data-a2a-url=\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wpm-article\/78247\"\n        data-a2a-title='\u201cSt. George [was] the perfect place to study how development and climate change collectively impact the risk of infection.\u201d'\n      >\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_facebook\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_twitter\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_email\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/blockquote>\n<\/figure><p>The fungus seems to be restricted to hot, dry regions of the American southwest, Mexico, and pockets of Central and South America. Morgan Gorris, an earth systems scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, has <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1029\/2019GH000209\">projected<\/a> that increasing temperatures and changes in rainfall will more than double the area of the U.S. endemic to the infection and that the number of Valley fever cases will increase by 50% by the end of the century. Not only is the range of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK448161\/\"><em>Coccidioides<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>expected to increase under climate change, but increasing weather extremes that come with climate change are predicted to increase the risk of disease in places where it is already endemic.<\/p><p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/lanplh\/article\/PIIS2542-5196(22)00202-9\/fulltext\">study<\/a> led by Jennifer Head and Justin Remais, epidemiologists at the University of Michigan and the University of California, Berkeley, found support for what is known as the \u201cgrow and blow\u201d hypothesis in patterns of Valley fever cases in California. Periods of intense rainfall fuel mycelial growth in the soil. When this is followed by increasingly hot, dry and dusty summers, conditions are ideal for wind-blown dispersion of fungal spores that lead to human exposures.<\/p><p>But <em>Coccidioides <\/em>is also considered a \u201cmeat-eating fungus\u201d to some, like Bridget Barker, a biologist at Northern Arizona University, and mycologist John Taylor at the University of California, Berkeley. They <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/mmy\/myy039\">argue<\/a> that the fungus lives in the lungs of small mammals, securely encased in granulomas, small cavities <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC10301931\/\">surrounded<\/a> by immune cells, much like those that develop when someone has tuberculosis. Barker and Taylor hypothesize that when rodents die, their carcasses are abundant sources of food for mycelia to grow, release spores, and infect other small mammals as they burrow through the now-infected soils. Work in Barker\u2019s laboratory has <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11046-019-00391-2\">found<\/a> that rodent burrows are more likely to be infected with <em>Coccidioides <\/em>than nearby soils. Taylor\u2019s group, in turn, has <a href=\"http:\/\/doi.org\/10.1101\/gr.087551.108\">found<\/a> that the <em>Coccidioides <\/em>genome has evolved a capacity for so-called meat-eating.<\/p><!-- Content Image Block Template -->\n<div class=\"\n  content-image\n  content-image--full_width  \">\n\n  <div class=\"content-image__container\">\n\n    <!-- Main Image -->\n    <div class=\"content-image__main-wrapper\">\n\n              <div class=\"aspect-ratio-wrapper\">\n              <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" src=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Capture_34-copy.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=83da6705c7f49cecf18afad43a46a380\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Capture_34-copy.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=225&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=300&amp;wpsize=medium&amp;s=a0610e00b2e1dd2920996971c7acfe5e 300w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Capture_34-copy.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=512&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1024&amp;wpsize=noema-social-twitter&amp;s=19006107f85ea189043f7b38e8cdab1d 1024w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Capture_34-copy.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=576&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=768&amp;wpsize=medium_large&amp;s=4ec9f8c3506d7a10324b73e2cab921e6 768w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Capture_34-copy.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=900&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1200&amp;wpsize=post-thumbnail&amp;s=f4bc5f3edeb809ec2ddbcef9948f4762 1200w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Capture_34-copy.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1152&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1536&amp;wpsize=1536x1536&amp;s=f6d7266d3c6b70a0fb63c7d796c2fcd9 1536w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Capture_34-copy.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1485&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1980&amp;wpsize=twentytwenty-fullscreen&amp;s=1a13458c04683df11f6ed2bacdced9c5 1980w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Capture_34-copy.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=450&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=600&amp;wpsize=woocommerce_single&amp;s=8d63c55e6618028e5be7e49981e35241 600w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Capture_34-copy.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=83da6705c7f49cecf18afad43a46a380 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/>        <div class=\"content-image__overlay content-image__overlay-0\">\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"content-image__captions\">\n        <div class=\"content-image__main-caption\">\n          \n      <figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n        <div>The soil-dwelling Coccidioides fungus under a microscope, shown with increased contrast added. (Catherine Rha\/Noema Magazine)<\/div>\n      <\/figcaption>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n      <\/div>\n\n\n<\/div><p>Their work suggests that small mammals may play an important role in understanding where the fungus is now, how it moves, and where it will be in the coming decades. Zoonotic diseases \u2014 like Valley fever, Lyme disease and Covid-19 \u2014 are among the diseases most impacted by global change. Animals quickly shift ranges to survive changes in temperature and rainfall, and to escape destruction of their preferred habitats, carrying infections with them.<\/p><p>But for now, it is unclear which mammals are the important reservoirs for the Valley fever fungus, and how the increasingly hot and dusty St. George climate and the loss of their habitat would affect them. So we went looking for rodents and their burrows to try to answer these questions.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-redrawing-mycelium-maps\">Redrawing Mycelium Maps<\/h2><p>No vaccines yet exist for Valley fever, though a few are in development. In the absence of a vaccine, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) <a href=\"http:\/\/medbox.iiab.me\/modules\/en-cdc\/www.cdc.gov\/fungal\/diseases\/coccidioidomycosis\/definition.html\">advises<\/a> \u201cpeople who are at higher risk for severe Valley fever should try to avoid breathing in large amounts of dust if they\u2019re in these [endemic] areas.\u201d<\/p><p>This is a difficult recommendation for anyone to follow \u2014 and nearly impossible for anyone unhoused or whose work puts them in close contact with dust. Avoiding infection is all the more difficult since the current CDC risk <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/valley-fever\/areas\/index.html\">map<\/a> of Valley fever is wildly unrepresentative and dated, largely based on more than <a href=\"https:\/\/journal.chestnet.org\/article\/S0096-0217(15)31471-0\/abstract\">70-year-old<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/journal.chestnet.org\/article\/S0096-0217(15)31471-0\/abstract\">studies<\/a> run by the U.S. government.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Valley fever became a military priority during World War II when men from across the country were brought to the southwest for training and thousands fell sick. To address this, the U.S. Public Health Service conducted <a href=\"https:\/\/journal.chestnet.org\/article\/S0096-0217(15)31471-0\/fulltext\">skin testing<\/a> for 89,000 men who reported to the Naval Training Center in San Diego between 1949 and 1951, as well as female nursing students and undergraduates at a few colleges in the Midwest and Northeast.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Even short visits to endemic areas could result in infection. You could roll down your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfgate.com\/bayarea\/article\/california-increased-valley-fever-risk-18332285.php\">window<\/a> at an unlucky spot on a drive down Highway 1 in the west, the story goes, and wind up sick. To be more specific in their map, researchers included results only from people who had lived in one county their entire lives and were between 17 and 21 years old. With no justification, their study excluded anyone who wasn\u2019t white, making it impossible to draw broader conclusions from their study about who was at risk of infection.<\/p><!-- Quote Block Template -->\n\n<figure class=\"quote\">\n\n  <blockquote class=\"quote__container\">\n\n    <div class=\"quote__text\">\n      \u201cPeriods of intense rainfall fuel mycelial growth in the soil. When this is followed by increasingly hot, dry and dusty summers, conditions are ideal for &#8230; human exposures.\u201d    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <div class=\"quote__social-media\">\n      <div\n        class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_35 a2a_default_style\"\n        data-a2a-url=\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wpm-article\/78247\"\n        data-a2a-title='\u201cPeriods of intense rainfall fuel mycelial growth in the soil. When this is followed by increasingly hot, dry and dusty summers, conditions are ideal for ... human exposures.\u201d'\n      >\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_facebook\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_twitter\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_email\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/blockquote>\n<\/figure><p>Not only is the U.S. an average of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.weather.gov\/media\/slc\/ClimateBook\/Annual%20Average%20Temperature%20By%20Year.pdf\">4 degrees Fahrenheit warmer<\/a> than when the skin testing study was completed, and western landscapes are in many places unrecognizable, but outbreaks outside of the CDC\u2019s map indicate that we don\u2019t yet have a clear idea of the fungus\u2019 range.<\/p><p>Between June 29 and July 3, 2001, a group of 10 volunteers and archaeologists working at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.doi.org\/10.3201\/eid1004.030446\">Dinosaur National Monument<\/a> in northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado rushed to the local ER \u2014 all were having trouble breathing, most were coughing and feverish, some had developed rashes on their necks and torsos. The group \u2014 six students, two leaders and two National Park Service archaeologists \u2014&nbsp;had been working at a site called Swelter Shelter, a sandstone overhang that holds Fremont Culture pictographs, petroglyphs and artifacts dating as far back as 7000 to 6000 B.C.<\/p><p>Swelter Shelter faces south, making it a sandstone heat trap. On June 19, 10 workers sifted dirt through screens for artifacts, generating \u201cconsiderable dust\u201d and ultimately fell ill with Valley fever, according to the CDC <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC3323065\/\">report<\/a>. Eight were hospitalized and treated with antifungal drugs. Disturbingly, the monument is 200 miles north of what was considered the endemic range of the fungus at the time.\n          <div class=\"eos-subscribe-push\">\n            \n            <a target=\"https:\/\/shop.noemamag.com\/?utm_source=MiddleCTA&utm_medium=website\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.noemamag.com\/?utm_source=MiddleCTA&utm_medium=website\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">Read Noema in print.<\/a>\n            \n          <\/div>\n        <\/p><p>CDC epidemiologists also contacted the archaeologists who\u2019d worked at Swelter Shelter in the \u201860s. Five described having had fever, cough and chest pain symptoms consistent with Valley fever, including one archaeologist who was hospitalized for 10 days after digs in the \u201860s.<\/p><p>In 2010, another <a href=\"http:\/\/www.doi.org\/10.1093\/cid\/cis1028\">cluster<\/a> of Valley fever cases appeared far north of what was considered its range, in eastern Washington State, which has a climate similar to the southwest. At first, it was unclear whether the individuals had been infected outside of Washington \u2014 all three had traveled to other endemic places in prior years. But each reported likely exposures: a 12-year-old who biked and played in the dirt in a nearby desert canyon, a 15-year-old who fell sick after an ATV crash and a 58-year-old who worked as a construction excavator.<\/p><p>That year, and again in 2014, CDC epidemiologists tested soil from where the 12 and 15-year-olds were likely infected. Many of the soil samples were <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/cid\/ciu681\">positive<\/a>, and fungal genome sequences from both locations almost perfectly matched the fungal genome from a culture taken from the twelve-year-old.&nbsp;<\/p><p>One of the consequences of a biased and outdated Valley fever risk map is that people may not know of the risk it poses, and healthcare providers \u2014 like those Allen and Diane first encountered \u2014 may not be looking for it. Valley fever is a largely invisible epidemic \u2014 the CDC estimates that tens of thousands of cases <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/valley-fever\/php\/statistics\/index.html\">go unreported<\/a> each year. Many of these unreported cases may be among asymptomatic people or those whose symptoms resolved quickly, but others would benefit from treatment.<\/p><p>A recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC8386810\/\">study<\/a> found higher rates of Valley fever mortality in Utah than in other states. This is probably not due to a particularly virulent fungal strain in Utah, but instead due to long delays in proper diagnosis and treatment because of relatively low levels of awareness in Utah compared to Arizona or California\u2019s Central Valley.&nbsp;<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-desert-s-ecological-richness\">The Desert\u2019s Ecological Richness<\/h2><p>The word desert is an Old French word that means \u201cwilderness, wasteland\u201d or \u201cdestruction, ruin\u201d and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.etymonline.com\/word\/desert\">originates<\/a>, in turn, from the Latin word<em> desertum<\/em>, or \u201cthing abandoned.\u201d Ads for new developments suggest that golf courses and hotels are springing up across St. George and the surrounding desert from some sort of void.<\/p><p>But this image disregards the desert\u2019s exquisite ecological fullness and variation, and the rich human history in the region, including that of the Ancestral Puebloans and the Southern Paiutes, who occupied what is now St. George for millennia before Mormon settlers arrived.<\/p><p>Eric Rickart is among those well acquainted with desert diversity. Rickart, curator of vertebrates at the Natural History Museum of Utah, has spent his career studying rodents across the mountainous regions of the American West and in the Philippines.&nbsp;<\/p><p>When I met with Rickart in July, he wore a black T-shirt that said, \u201cThere\u2019s nothing like a cold, dead rat!\u201d with a grim picture of an Isarog striped shrew-rat, <em>Chrotomys gonzalesi<\/em>, a species he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gbif.org\/species\/2438291\">identified<\/a> and named. <em>C. gonzalesi, <\/em>I learned,<em> <\/em>is also the mascot for Dead Rat Brewing, Rickart\u2019s homebrew.<\/p><p>Once on a research trip, a medical mycologist in our group asked Rickart about his favorite mammal and he began to describe <em>Chrotomys whiteheadi<\/em>, the Luzon striped rat that lives in the Philippine mountains and survives mostly on earthworms. He interrupted himself: \u201cMy favorite mammal is my wife.\u201d<\/p><!-- Quote Block Template -->\n\n<figure class=\"quote\">\n\n  <blockquote class=\"quote__container\">\n\n    <div class=\"quote__text\">\n      \u201cOutbreaks outside of the CDC\u2019s map indicate that we don\u2019t yet have a clear idea of the fungus\u2019 range.\u201d    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <div class=\"quote__social-media\">\n      <div\n        class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_35 a2a_default_style\"\n        data-a2a-url=\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wpm-article\/78247\"\n        data-a2a-title='\u201cOutbreaks outside of the CDC\u2019s map indicate that we don\u2019t yet have a clear idea of the fungus\u2019 range.\u201d'\n      >\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_facebook\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_twitter\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_email\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/blockquote>\n<\/figure><p>Derieg and Rickart first showed our team rodent burrows, which soon began to pop out of the muted desert landscape like Easter eggs \u2014 deliberate holes of various sizes beneath the black brush and creosote bushes, and under sandstone slabs. The sand was a canvas for their activity: looping tail drags and delicate footprints leading to burrow entrances.<\/p><p>While Derieg and Rickart followed traplines, I worked with Kevin Perry, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah, to carefully angle small soup ladles into burrows and scoop soil into plastic conical tubes. Perry\u2019s recent research has focused on dust, and he has <a href=\"https:\/\/d1bbnjcim4wtri.cloudfront.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/10101816\/GSL_Dust_Plumes_Final_Report_Complete_Document.pdf\">documented<\/a> the dust plumes emanating from the Great Salt Lake\u2019s widening exposed playa.<\/p><p>Our first trapping trip was \u201cwildly successful,\u201d a 68% trap success, Derieg reported, leaving Derieg and Rickart with the work of conducting necropsies on 108 mammals \u2014 mostly canyon mice, long-tailed pocket mice, and cactus mice. &#8220;You can do that in a desert in a good year. These animals are easy to trap,&#8221; Rickart said. Derieg told me to temper my expectations for future field trips: a 10% trap success was considered good.&nbsp;<\/p><p>A few hundred yards downslope from Derieg\u2019s trap line, development was expanding into the canyon mouse habitat. A billboard with a QR code advertised the new lots and a machine sprayed water onto a large pile of recently excavated dirt to suppress the rising dust.<\/p><!-- Content Image Block Template -->\n<div class=\"\n  content-image\n  content-image--full_width  \">\n\n  <div class=\"content-image__container\">\n\n    <!-- Main Image -->\n    <div class=\"content-image__main-wrapper\">\n\n              <div class=\"aspect-ratio-wrapper\">\n              <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2100\" height=\"1181\" src=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine3.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=a667987e4482d38507d85e7cb729694d\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine3.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=169&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=300&amp;wpsize=medium&amp;s=d13e542db330f293393cca30ca091e74 300w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine3.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=512&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1024&amp;wpsize=noema-social-twitter&amp;s=851d81bbd57b9f89b8bda3e699e4c052 1024w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine3.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=432&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=768&amp;wpsize=medium_large&amp;s=c294eeb63e7adb7caebd99839907aa43 768w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine3.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=511&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=767&amp;wpsize=noema-listing-tile&amp;s=8926eae1e2766d29c8f78930a9ad48bc 767w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine3.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=675&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1200&amp;wpsize=post-thumbnail&amp;s=f751670ce3a54f73996ef72c67998e81 1200w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine3.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=864&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1536&amp;wpsize=1536x1536&amp;s=d456e6377f929cfd150460eb92becbf6 1536w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine3.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1152&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=2048&amp;wpsize=2048x2048&amp;s=0a336e9ffe5f38a0d048e10eb3dc261e 2048w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine3.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1114&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1980&amp;wpsize=twentytwenty-fullscreen&amp;s=ad0615b8d8752ad4a6d3eb155f626651 1980w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine3.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=337&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=600&amp;wpsize=woocommerce_single&amp;s=22e18c483a785dbca7daca03a8b42d1e 600w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine3.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=a667987e4482d38507d85e7cb729694d 2100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2100px) 100vw, 2100px\" \/>        <div class=\"content-image__overlay content-image__overlay-0\">\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"content-image__captions\">\n        <div class=\"content-image__main-caption\">\n          \n      <figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n        <div>Housing developments extend to the perimeter of the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area in St. George, a prime example of a human-wildlife interface that is associated with spillover of infection from animal reservoirs. Eric Rickart, Ajla Auker, and Kevin Perry check small mammal traps in the distance. (Katharine Walter\/Noema Magazine)<\/div>\n      <\/figcaption>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n      <\/div>\n\n\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-preventing-spillover\">Preventing Spillover<\/h2><p>In the heady discussions about how to prevent the next pandemic, Raina Plowright, a bat biologist and disease ecologist at Cornell University, has been making the case for conservation. Pathogens are plentiful in ecosystems around the world, but pandemics \u2014 often arising from spillovers of infection from wild animals \u2014 are rare, she <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41467-024-46151-9\">wrote<\/a> in a research paper published earlier this year.<\/p><p>Pandemics require a disastrous alignment of conditions that most often occur on fragmented landscapes where zoonotic reservoirs are pushed out of natural habitats and put in close contact with people lacking prior exposures or immunity.&nbsp;<\/p><p>The combined impact of habitat destruction and climate change force zoonotic disease reservoirs across the world to shift their ranges, leading to \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-022-04788-w\">viral sharing<\/a>\u201d among species that have been historically isolated \u2014 and potentially leading to spillover of these new viruses to humans.<\/p><p>Billions of dollars have been spent on biomedical responses to outbreaks and pandemics. Masks, vaccines and antiviral drugs have saved innumerable lives. But unequal access to these technologies magnifies the glaring inequities in global health. At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, for example, pharmaceutical companies refused to loosen patents on vaccine formulas, making vaccine doses too expensive for much of the world. The resulting \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.science.org\/content\/article\/i-m-still-feeling-we-re-failing-exasperated-who-leader-speaks-out-about-vaccine\">vaccine apartheid<\/a>,\u201d as Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), calls it, caused countless preventable deaths.<\/p><p>What if we instead were to prevent spillover from occurring in the first place? Plowright argues that protecting and restoring the habitat of zoonotic reservoir species would minimize human interactions with those reservoirs, preventing pathogens from jumping into humans. This could be more equitable than the costly biomedical responses we have developed.&nbsp;<\/p><p>The Valley fever fungus <a href=\"https:\/\/harvardpublichealth.org\/environmental-health\/fungal-pandemic-not-the-last-of-us-but-still-dangerous\/\">likely won\u2019t cause<\/a> the next pandemic. Yet conserving the ecosystems where fungal reservoirs reside \u2014 including the native desert vegetation that keeps mycelia in the ground and limits dust from blowing \u2014 and taking every available action to avoid the worst possible future climate scenarios, may similarly be our most effective and cheapest defenses against the next pandemic.<\/p><p>\u201cThis is something Indigenous people have known for a long time \u2014 not to make scars on the land,\u201d Rose Ann Abrahamson, a Lemhi Shoshone historian and translator, told me.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dry-creek-reservoir\">Dry Creek Reservoir<\/h2><p>On a spring field trip, our sampling team drove southeast along Old Highway 91, leaving the Shivwits Band of Paiutes reservation \u2014 a fragment of the more than 30 million acres Southern Paiutes inhabited for millennia \u2014and entering Ivins. Here, undisturbed desert shrub habitat gave way to a perplexing number of ongoing construction sites. Waves of dust visibly rose from open red fields of earth and heaps of soil. At one site, four yellow excavators were parked in a row, their massive arms poised in parallel above the soil, like masochistic ballerinas frozen in place at the start of some sick ballet.<\/p><!-- Quote Block Template -->\n\n<figure class=\"quote\">\n\n  <blockquote class=\"quote__container\">\n\n    <div class=\"quote__text\">\n      \u201cWhat if we instead were to prevent spillover [of wild animal infections] from occurring in the first place?\u201d    <\/div>\n\n    \n    <div class=\"quote__social-media\">\n      <div\n        class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_35 a2a_default_style\"\n        data-a2a-url=\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wpm-article\/78247\"\n        data-a2a-title='\u201cWhat if we instead were to prevent spillover [of wild animal infections] from occurring in the first place?\u201d'\n      >\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_facebook\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_twitter\"><\/a>\n        <a class=\"a2a_button_email\"><\/a>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/blockquote>\n<\/figure><p>Locals worried that Ivins, an artsy community of about 10,000, nine miles northwest of St. George, was about to get a lot dustier. The area\u2019s ballooning population and expanding golf scene require water, scarce in an arid desert experiencing its <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1126\/sciadv.adj4289\">24th year<\/a> of megadrought. The Washington County Water Conservancy District had proposed a reservoir. The idea was to store treated wastewater, so-called reuse water, locally for outdoor irrigation, making more water available for imminent development projects already approved by the city.<\/p><p>The tracks of a Mojave desert tortoise \u2014 listed as <a href=\"https:\/\/ecos.fws.gov\/ecp\/report\/species-listings-by-state?stateAbbrev=UT&amp;stateName=Utah&amp;statusCategory=Listed\">threatened<\/a> under the federal Endangered Species Act \u2014 were spotted at the first proposed reservoir site, according to a manager at the Washington County Water <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sltrib.com\/news\/environment\/2024\/02\/24\/if-plan-22-million-reservoir-is\/\">Conservancy District<\/a>, stalling construction plans there. Heated community <a href=\"https:\/\/savedrywash.com\/\">debate<\/a> now focused on an alternate proposed reservoir site, Dry Wash \u2014&nbsp;an undeveloped open space located between Ivins and the Shivwits Band of the Paiutes reservation.<\/p><p>Early one morning this past May, my research assistant and I pulled up behind Ginamarie Foglia\u2019s white Land Rover at Dry Wash. In front of a barbed wire fence surrounding the property, someone had put up a small sign: \u201cView the proposed Natural Park Site? Or Reservoir Site?\u201d and printed maps of the alternatives. Reservoirs rise and fall with the seasons, a dynamic that will be further intensified by climate change.<\/p><p>Foglia, an infectious disease clinician in Ivins, and others, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uphe.org\/2024\/04\/16\/proposal-for-southern-utah-puts-residents-at-risk-2\/\">Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment<\/a>, worried that when water levels were low in the summer months, 47 acres of reservoir bed would be exposed, blowing dust and potentially, harmful chemicals and fungal spores, directly into neighboring homes. Here, it was not just climate change, but developers\u2019 hasty responses to climate change-driven drought, that could dangerously amplify disease.<\/p><p>Wooden stakes and hot pink flagging tape marked the reservoir\u2019s planned perimeter. We walked down a hillside into what could soon be underwater, crossing a dried-up creek, its exposed rocks thick with salt. Somehow, fat tadpoles survived in a shady pool. Empty was not a word that came to mind, as we walked by blooming desert marigolds and fragrant sagebrush, kneeling at plentiful rodent burrows to collect soil samples, scouring the ground for tortoise tracks.<\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-watching-dust-plumes\">Watching Dust Plumes<\/h2><p>After visits to urgent care, an emergency room, and a course of antibiotics, Diane asked her family doctor in St. George if she might have Valley fever. Her doctor told her it was unlikely and sent her to a rheumatologist for a lung biopsy and cancer test. There, she insisted on a Valley fever test too. After 10 excruciating days, her results came back positive for Valley fever. \u201cYou\u2019re the first one I\u2019ve ever seen that has it,\u201d she recalled the rheumatologist telling her.&nbsp;<\/p><p>Diane, whose living room has views of the sprawling construction, blames the ongoing growth of St. George for her diagnosis. \u201cThey\u2019re building homes there by the lava rocks \u2026 building out by the airport. We&#8217;re talking huge developments that will bring hundreds of thousands of people,\u201d she said. \u201cI worry for people.\u201d<\/p><p>More projects designed to draw increasing crowds are on the horizon and are backed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sltrib.com\/news\/politics\/2024\/05\/16\/utah-congressional-leaders-blast\/\">powerful political supporters<\/a>. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that developers are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sltrib.com\/sports\/2024\/10\/11\/black-desert-resort-walks-back\/\">considering<\/a> building a sports arena in the area that could accommodate up to 12,500 people. Republican state Sen. Jerry Stevenson said that he might sponsor a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sltrib.com\/sports\/2024\/10\/11\/black-desert-resort-walks-back\/\">bill<\/a> to provide state funding for it as a public infrastructure project.<\/p><p>A previous <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sltrib.com\/news\/politics\/2024\/05\/20\/more-than-third-utah-lawmakers\/\">analysis<\/a> from the Tribune reported that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kpcw.org\/2023-12-29\/utah-lawmakers-who-approved-luxury-ski-resort-took-100k-in-donations-from-developer\">Stevenson<\/a>, along with more than one-third of Utah\u2019s state legislature profits from development. Meanwhile, Washington County is <a href=\"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/d311f36120df\/washington-county-weekly-recap-6737095\">fighting<\/a> to build a four-lane highway through Red Cliffs National Conservation Area north of St. George \u2014 a critical habitat for Mojave desert tortoises and several native Virgin River fish \u2014 to move tourists and residents across the city more quickly.&nbsp;<\/p><p>\u201cThe City is well on its way to accomplishing its tourism goals,\u201d the 2024 Ivins City <a href=\"https:\/\/ivinsutah.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GeneralPlan-Complete-Draft-20240911.pdf\">General Plan<\/a> states.<\/p><p>But Diane is less satisfied.<\/p><p>\u201cThey\u2019re so proud of all this growth,\u201d she told me, \u201cand it\u2019s killing us.\u201d<\/p><!-- Content Image Block Template -->\n<div class=\"\n  content-image\n  content-image--full_width  \">\n\n  <div class=\"content-image__container\">\n\n    <!-- Main Image -->\n    <div class=\"content-image__main-wrapper\">\n\n              <div class=\"aspect-ratio-wrapper\">\n              <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2100\" height=\"1181\" src=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine1.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=0f1ffb9c658edc7339d99621737d2579\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine1.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=169&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=300&amp;wpsize=medium&amp;s=729000c3b5d1025f575aab2a043a56d8 300w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine1.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=512&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1024&amp;wpsize=noema-social-twitter&amp;s=aba7143e46c38159fe224297d26bcb38 1024w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine1.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=432&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=768&amp;wpsize=medium_large&amp;s=5296fd4662ce320d0e61ea4ee97a553c 768w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine1.jpg?fit=crop&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=511&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=767&amp;wpsize=noema-listing-tile&amp;s=c852f4f5cdffa8ad0ddacf96ce24d582 767w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine1.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=675&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1200&amp;wpsize=post-thumbnail&amp;s=e01633fc1f45ea65889531260737cb88 1200w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine1.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=864&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1536&amp;wpsize=1536x1536&amp;s=203901de64c6d9bb7e6b038752e8a3ca 1536w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine1.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1152&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=2048&amp;wpsize=2048x2048&amp;s=678e6a11005e89d3c7b608ed78583785 2048w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine1.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=1114&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=1980&amp;wpsize=twentytwenty-fullscreen&amp;s=63f70f26315aa58eae7594381ba57c1e 1980w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine1.jpg?fit=scale&amp;fm=pjpg&amp;h=337&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;w=600&amp;wpsize=woocommerce_single&amp;s=df09997a2ddce7450c1cd4161dbaa729 600w, https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/katharine1.jpg?fm=pjpg&amp;ixlib=php-3.3.1&amp;s=0f1ffb9c658edc7339d99621737d2579 2100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2100px) 100vw, 2100px\" \/>        <div class=\"content-image__overlay content-image__overlay-0\">\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"content-image__captions\">\n        <div class=\"content-image__main-caption\">\n          \n      <figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">\n        <div>Kevin Perry and Katrina Derieg inspect a full small mammal trap in Santa Clara, Utah. (Katharine Walter\/Noema Magazine)<\/div>\n      <\/figcaption>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n      <\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n          <div class=\"eos-subscribe-push\">\n          \n            <a target=\"https:\/\/shop.noemamag.com\/?utm_source=BottomCTA&utm_medium=website\" href=\"https:\/\/shop.noemamag.com\/?utm_source=BottomCTA&utm_medium=website\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">Enjoy the read? Subscribe to get the best of Noema.<\/a>\n            \n          <\/div>\n        ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":6362,"featured_media":78248,"template":"","wpm-article-type":[4],"wpm-article-topic":[22,11,39,23],"wpm-article-tag":[],"class_list":["post-78247","wpm-article","type-wpm-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpm-article-type-feature","wpm-article-topic-climate-crisis","wpm-article-topic-future-of-capitalism","wpm-article-topic-geopolitics-globalization","wpm-article-topic-philosophy-culture"],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.0 (Yoast SEO v25.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Utah Developments Dig Up Valley Fever Dust<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Unchecked development is encroaching into parched desert landscapes and kicking up more than just a little dust \u2014 it\u2019s raising the risk of Valley fever.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Making Of A New American Epidemic\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Unchecked development is encroaching into parched desert landscapes and kicking up more than just a little dust \u2014 it\u2019s raising the risk of Valley fever.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NOEMA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NoemaMag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-11T19:33:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/amirahthumbnail.jpg?fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=86b8de2cb1acc638ef0e9c1c6a9268ba\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Noema-Twitter-Card-Vertical-Template-70.png?fm=png&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=413e458093931980bb03d09e9b70635b\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@NoemaMag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"20 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/\",\"name\":\"Utah Developments Dig Up Valley Fever Dust\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/amirahfinal.jpg?fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=e213dcef09a111bfc7e7c0ce70853857\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-12T17:01:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-11T19:33:43+00:00\",\"description\":\"Unchecked development is encroaching into parched desert landscapes and kicking up more than just a little dust \u2014 it\u2019s raising the risk of Valley fever.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/amirahfinal.jpg?fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=e213dcef09a111bfc7e7c0ce70853857\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/amirahfinal.jpg?fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=e213dcef09a111bfc7e7c0ce70853857\",\"width\":947,\"height\":1186,\"caption\":\"Amirah Sheikh for Noema Magazine\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Making Of A New American Epidemic\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/\",\"name\":\"NOEMA\",\"description\":\"Noema Magazine\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"NOEMA\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2023\/11\/noema-logo.png?fm=png&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=5f5be9b261a7cf7e336f6f6beea6e539\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2023\/11\/noema-logo.png?fm=png&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=5f5be9b261a7cf7e336f6f6beea6e539\",\"width\":305,\"height\":69,\"caption\":\"NOEMA\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NoemaMag\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/NoemaMag\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Utah Developments Dig Up Valley Fever Dust","description":"Unchecked development is encroaching into parched desert landscapes and kicking up more than just a little dust \u2014 it\u2019s raising the risk of Valley fever.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Making Of A New American Epidemic","og_description":"Unchecked development is encroaching into parched desert landscapes and kicking up more than just a little dust \u2014 it\u2019s raising the risk of Valley fever.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/","og_site_name":"NOEMA","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NoemaMag","article_modified_time":"2025-02-11T19:33:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":500,"url":"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/amirahthumbnail.jpg?fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=86b8de2cb1acc638ef0e9c1c6a9268ba","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/Noema-Twitter-Card-Vertical-Template-70.png?fm=png&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=413e458093931980bb03d09e9b70635b","twitter_site":"@NoemaMag","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"20 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/","url":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/","name":"Utah Developments Dig Up Valley Fever Dust","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/amirahfinal.jpg?fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=e213dcef09a111bfc7e7c0ce70853857","datePublished":"2024-11-12T17:01:22+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-11T19:33:43+00:00","description":"Unchecked development is encroaching into parched desert landscapes and kicking up more than just a little dust \u2014 it\u2019s raising the risk of Valley fever.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/amirahfinal.jpg?fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=e213dcef09a111bfc7e7c0ce70853857","contentUrl":"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/amirahfinal.jpg?fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=e213dcef09a111bfc7e7c0ce70853857","width":947,"height":1186,"caption":"Amirah Sheikh for Noema Magazine"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Making Of A New American Epidemic"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/","name":"NOEMA","description":"Noema Magazine","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/#organization","name":"NOEMA","url":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2023\/11\/noema-logo.png?fm=png&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=5f5be9b261a7cf7e336f6f6beea6e539","contentUrl":"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2023\/11\/noema-logo.png?fm=png&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=5f5be9b261a7cf7e336f6f6beea6e539","width":305,"height":69,"caption":"NOEMA"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NoemaMag","https:\/\/x.com\/NoemaMag"]}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"The Making Of A New American Epidemic","url":"http:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/amirahfinal.jpg?fit=crop&fm=pjpg&h=150&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=150&wpsize=thumbnail&s=c16b7e17e1d4768c2eba933f4c653aa5","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/noemamag.imgix.net\/2024\/11\/amirahfinal.jpg?fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=e213dcef09a111bfc7e7c0ce70853857"},"articleSection":"Uncategorized","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Katharine S. Walter"}],"creator":["Katharine S. Walter"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NOEMA","logo":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/cropped-ms-icon-310x310-1.png"},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2024-11-12T17:01:22Z","datePublished":"2024-11-12T17:01:22Z","dateModified":"2025-02-11T19:33:43Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"The Making Of A New American Epidemic\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.noemamag.com\\\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.noemamag.com\\\/the-making-of-a-new-american-epidemic\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/noemamag.imgix.net\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/amirahfinal.jpg?fit=crop&fm=pjpg&h=150&ixlib=php-3.3.1&w=150&wpsize=thumbnail&s=c16b7e17e1d4768c2eba933f4c653aa5\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/noemamag.imgix.net\\\/2024\\\/11\\\/amirahfinal.jpg?fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.1&s=e213dcef09a111bfc7e7c0ce70853857\"},\"articleSection\":\"Uncategorized\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Katharine S. Walter\"}],\"creator\":[\"Katharine S. Walter\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"NOEMA\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.noemamag.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/06\\\/cropped-ms-icon-310x310-1.png\"},\"keywords\":[],\"dateCreated\":\"2024-11-12T17:01:22Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-12T17:01:22Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-11T19:33:43Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/noemamag.com\/p.js"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wpm-article\/78247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wpm-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wpm-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"wpm-article-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wpm-article-type?post=78247"},{"taxonomy":"wpm-article-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wpm-article-topic?post=78247"},{"taxonomy":"wpm-article-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noemamag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wpm-article-tag?post=78247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}