season and limited rainfall, concentrated in a short period of time. Therefore, coccidioidomycosis presents a limited geographic distribution, and transmission is restricted to a few months of the year. (2) The fungus disseminates as arthroconidia and is inhaled together with soil dust. In Brazil, armadillo hunting is an activity that carries a significant risk for infection.Pulmonary coccidioidomycosis is typically self-limiting but can evolve to chronicity and dissemination. (3) In a small number of indi- Introduction AbstractCoccidioidomycosis, a fungal illness acquired by the inhalation of arthroconidia of Coccidioides sp., was first described in 1894. Coccidioidomycosis is mainly restricted to areas with arid climate, alkaline soil and low rainfall. Consequently, most of the reported cases in Brazil have occurred in the northeastern region. We report three cases of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis occurring between 2005 and 2006 in an endemic area in the state of Ceará, Brazil. The three patients were immunocompetent adult males, hunters of armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), with complaints of cough, fever, dyspnea and pleuritic pain. All three patients presented pulmonary involvement, and one also presented cutaneous lesions. Chest X-rays and CT scans of the patients revealed characteristic coccidioidomycosis lesions. The diagnosis was confirmed by serological testing. All of the patients evolved to cure after antifungal treatment.Keywords: Coccidioidomycosis; Lung diseases, fungal; Coccidioides. ResumoA coccidioidomicose, uma doença fúngica adquirida através da inalação do agente Coccidioides sp. sob a forma de artroconídio, foi pela primeira vez descrita em 1894. Restringe-se principalmente a áreas de clima árido, solo alcalino e regiões de baixo índice pluviométrico. Não por acaso, a maioria dos casos descritos no Brasil ocorreu na região Nordeste. Relatam-se três casos de coccidioidomicose pulmonar ocorridos nos anos de 2005 e 2006, em zona endêmica no interior do Ceará. Todos eram homens imunocompetentes de idade adulta, adeptos à prática de caça a tatus (Dasypus novemcinctus) com queixas de tosse, febre, dispneia e dor pleurítica. Houve evoluções com comprometimento pulmonar e lesão cutânea foi observada em apenas um paciente. Todos apresentaram radiografia e TC de tórax com lesões características da coccidioidomicose. O diagnóstico foi confirmado através de teste sorológico. Todos evoluíram para cura após tratamento com antifúngico.