Coccidioidomycosis--the airborne assault continues: an unusual presentation with a review of the history, epidemiology, and military relevance.

Despite remarkable advances in detection and therapy, coccidioidomycosis remains a persistent threat to military troops deployed in endemic areas. Pregnant women, immunocompromised hosts, and dark-skinned persons, particularly those of Filipino, African, Hispanic or Asian ancestry, are at greatest risk for disseminated coccidioidomycosis. The ethnically diverse military forces have susceptible active duty and reserve members stationed at or temporarily trained on bases located in endemic areas for Coccidioides immitis. Although the vast majority of infections with this organism are subclinical, unusual patterns of dissemination pose a diagnostic challenge. The military physician may be tasked with recognizing acute non-specific symptoms as well as bizarre, occult manifestations of coccidioidomycosis. We present a case of disseminated coccidioidomycosis in an active duty Caucasian male who presented with a right shoulder mass. Our patient is atypical in that he had disseminated disease although immunocompetent and Caucasian. Another unusual feature is that the mass was not preceded or accompanied by any other symptoms. We could find only two other reported cases of coccidioidomycosis presenting as a soft tissue mass, both in African-American patients. The epidemiology and history of coccidioidomycosis will be reviewed, with an emphasis on military populations. The insidious nature of coccidioidomycosis, the importance of early detection and treatment in decreasing morbidity and mortality, and the presence of large numbers of military members in the endemic areas make the lessons of this case particularly relevant for all flight surgeons.

A case of Pott's disease in a 20-year-old military dependent.

Tuberculous spondylitis (Pott's disease) is an uncommon complication of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection that may have serious consequences if the diagnosis is missed or delayed. A case of tuberculous spondylitis in a military dependent is presented. Clinical presentation, radiologic findings, laboratory findings, and treatment are discussed.

Coccidioidomycosis: a persistent threat to deployed populations.

The world-wide deployability of aircrew members exposes them to a peculiar array of medical problems. Non-immune populations, upon deployment to endemic areas, may present to the deployed flight surgeon with acute, poorly recognizable syndromes, such as acute coccidioidomycosis. Alternatively, the acquisition of the chronic progressive form of coccidioidomycosis in endemic areas may be a problem for the flight surgeon, who may be faced with a poorly recognizable syndrome which first manifests itself weeks to months after the crewmember's return from deployment. We describe three cases of coccidioidomycosis in service members that highlight the difficulty in the diagnosis of this disease. These cases prompted an epidemiologic survey of recent cases of coccidioidomycosis among Air Force beneficiaries, presented here, to better define the impact of this disease on personnel assigned to endemic areas. A brief discussion of the epidemiologic and clinical features of the disease and of the aeromedical disposition of the aviator is presented.

Hepatoblastoma: a rare pediatric neoplasm.

The differential diagnosis of an abdominal mass in an infant or young child includes hepatoblastoma. This rare embryonal neoplasm of the liver is linked to several congenital abnormalities and may be associated with maternal occupational exposure to metal fumes, petroleum products, or paints. Alpha-fetoprotein is a useful tumor marker that may also be elevated with hepatocellular carcinoma. The relatively better prognosis of hepatoblastoma, if completely resected, mandates its differentiation from hepatoma. The fetal subtype of hepatoblastoma seems to represent a "favorable" histology pattern.

Colonic lipoma as a source of massive hemorrhage. Report of a case.

Colonic lipomas are a rare source of massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding requiring operative intervention. A case of massive hemorrhage from cecal lipomatosis is presented. The methods of preoperative diagnosis and treatment are discussed.

Case from the aerospace medicine residents' teaching file. Case #35. Renal cell carcinoma in an aviator with a long history of renal lithiasis.

This case study discusses the presentation, evaluation, and aeromedical disposition of an aviator with renal cell carcinoma, a disease seldom seen in the military flying population. It emphasizes the necessity of flight surgeon awareness of preventive medicine aspects of waivered medical disorders.