The IP receives a call from the ER about a 38-year-old male with a 4-week history of cough and fever. He has just returned from an extended trip to the southwestern United States. Coccidioidomycosis is on the list of possible diagnoses. Which of the following is true regarding the epidemiology of coccidioidomycosis?
a. Coccidioides spp. are usually found at high elevations
b. Coccidioides spp. are usually found in wet climates
c. Up to 50 percent of people in endemic areas have been exposed to Coccidioides spores
d. Coccidioides spp. are found on the surface of the soil