A case of Aspergillus tracheobronchitis in a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Aspergillus tracheobronchitis (AT) is a unique form of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, which is commonly found in patients with impaired immunity. Early-stage AT presents in a nonspecific way, both clinically and radiographically, thereby delaying diagnosis and resulting in a high mortality. Owing...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ming-Li Yuan, Gang Yang, Hong-Ling Hu, Wen Yin, Wei-Jun Tan, Su Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2017-01-01
Series:Indian Journal of Pathology and Microbiology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.ijpmonline.org/article.asp?issn=0377-4929;year=2017;volume=60;issue=2;spage=285;epage=287;aulast=Yuan
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Summary:Aspergillus tracheobronchitis (AT) is a unique form of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, which is commonly found in patients with impaired immunity. Early-stage AT presents in a nonspecific way, both clinically and radiographically, thereby delaying diagnosis and resulting in a high mortality. Owing to impaired mucociliary clearance, previous nonfungal infections, and administration of corticosteroids, among other aspects, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are predisposed to AT, although they are mostly immunocompetent. AT in COPD patients has not been well recognized and the condition is often misdiagnosed or missed. We herein report a case of AT diagnosed in a male with past COPD, with the features of pseudomembranous AT upon bronchoscopy. This contradicts the opinion that pseudomembranous AT is found in severely immunocompromised hosts with hematologic malignancies.
ISSN:0377-4929