Case 209: Disseminated coccidioidal spondylodiskitis.

History A 46-year-old Hispanic man with a medical history of diabetes and hepatitis C and an unclear history of prior infectious disease presented to the emergency department of a community medical center in the northeastern United States with a 3-month history of back pain. The patient was originally from Mexico and had been living in the United States for approximately 1 year. Physical examination at the time of admission was noncontributory. Pertinent hematologic laboratory test results were as follows: white blood cell count, 11.2 ×10(9)/L (normal range, [4.5-11.0] ×10(9)/L); neutrophil level, 81.3% (0.81) (normal range, 38.9%-75.1% [0.39-0.75]); hemoglobin level, 7.9 g/dL (normal range, 13.5-18.0 g/dL); hematocrit level, 23.2% (0.23) (normal range, 40.0%-54.0% [0.40-0.54]); and calcium level, 8.3 mg/dL (2.07 mmol/L) (normal range, 8.4-10.4 mg/dL [2.1-2.6 mmol/L]). Protein electrophoresis revealed hypergammaglobulinemia consistent with chronic inflammation. Relevant radiologic studies included computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the spine.