Coccidioides Antibody, Titer details

Coccidioides is a fungus that lives in soil in dry regions such as the southwestern United States, and breathing in its spores can cause coccidioidomycosis, also called valley fever. This blood test measures antibodies against the fungus and reports a titer, meaning how far the sample can be diluted and still show antibodies. It is used to help assess infection and to monitor how it changes over time or with treatment. A higher titer generally reflects a more active or widespread infection, and falling titers over time can suggest improvement. Antibodies may take weeks to appear and can be low in people with weakened immunity, so results are interpreted with symptoms, imaging and other tests.