RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Brilhante, Raimunda S. N. A1 Cordeiro, Rossana A. A1 Rocha, Marcos F. G. A1 Fechine, Maria A. B. A1 Furtado, Felipe M. A1 Nagao-Dias, Aparecida T. A1 Camargo, Zoilo P. A1 Sidrim, José J. C.YR 2008 T1 Coccidioidal pericarditis: a rapid presumptive diagnosis by an in-house antigen confirmed by mycological and molecular methods JF Journal of Medical Microbiology, VO 57 IS 10 SP 1288 OP 1292 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.2008/002428-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1473-5644, AB Coccidioidal pericarditis is a condition found in approximately 1–5 % of patients infected by Coccidioides species. It is associated with widely diverse clinical symptoms. This paper reports a case of coccidioidal pericarditis diagnosed by an in-house Coccidioides posadasii antigen and confirmed with mycological and molecular methods. From February to September 2005, the patient suffered from fever, weight loss, a non-productive cough, thoracic pain and tachycardia. He received a positive diagnosis of coccidioidal pericarditis only in October 2005. The macromorphological examination of the culture showed a whitish felt-like colony, which became brownish with age. Preparations in lactophenol cotton blue stain showed hyaline septate hyphae with fragmentation and thin arthroconidia-like structures. Pericardial fluid and sera samples were positive for Coccidioides antibodies by immunodiffusion and ELISA with a C. posadasii in-house antigen preparation. The C. posadasii identification was confirmed by nested PCR of the antigen 2/proline-rich antigen (Ag2/PRA) encoding gene., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.2008/002428-0