Coccidioidomycosis of the lung contracted abroad.

Coccidioides immitis is endemic in the southwestern United States. Coccidioidomycosis is rare in Japan, but the number of coccidioidomycosis cases from overseas is expected to increase markedly in the near future. A 33-year-old Japanese man with coccidioidomycosis who had lived in Arizona presented to our hospital. We performed wedge resection of the lung by video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), and were able to completely remove the lesion. VATS wedge resection of the lung is effective in treating localized coccidioidomycosis. Before the operation, we could not confirm the existence of satellite lesions, but microscopically the main lesion was accompanied by several daughter lesions. It is very important that the surgical margin be sufficient to achieve complete resection.