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BAKERSFIELD -- Zoo animals, pets and animals in the wild contract coccidioidomycosis -- valley fever -- the same way people do, by inhaling spores from a fungus that thrives in soil, particularly in the Central Valley, Arizona and throughout the Southwest."We all get it from breathing the spores and not being coughed on by a sick person or dog," said Dr. Lisa Shubitz, a veterinarian and associate research professor at the University of Arizona.Valley fever affects an estimated 150,000 people every year throughout the country and played a role in the deaths of more than 3,000 people between 1990 and 2008, according to one study. The toll the disease has taken on animals isn't known, but veterinarians in Bakersfield and Arizona said it's an illness they routinely see.Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/11/24/2667797/valley-fever-takes-its-toll-on.html#storylink=cpy
