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Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia associated with Schizophyllum commune
Author(s) -
KAWAYAMA Tomotaka,
FUJIKI Rei,
RIKIMARU Toru,
AIZAWA Hisamichi
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
respirology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1440-1843
pISSN - 1323-7799
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1843.2003.00504.x
Subject(s) - medicine , bronchoalveolar lavage , eosinophilic pneumonia , chest radiograph , pathology , chronic cough , schizophyllum commune , eosinophilic , diffuse alveolar damage , bronchoscopy , lung , gastroenterology , asthma , immunology , botany , biology , acute respiratory distress
We describe the first known Japanese patient with chronic eosinophilic pneumonia caused by Schizophyllum commune . The patient presented to Social Insurance Tagawa Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan with cough, wheezing, dyspnoea, and fever. Computed tomograms of the chest showed bilateral areas of consolidation with air bronchograms as well as interstitial infiltrates in the upper lobe, without ectasia of proximal bronchi. Fibreoptic bronchoscopy revealed no impacted mucus in the bronchi. BAL fluid from the right upper lobe yielded an increased total cell count with a high percentage of eosinophils. A transbronchial lung biopsy specimen showed a bronchoalveolar chronic inflammatory infiltrate composed of eosinophils, lymphocytes and plasma cells, associated with fibrosis of the alveolar walls. S. commune was identified in lavage fluid. Antibodies to this organism were present in the serum, confirming that S. commune was the cause of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia. Inhaled corticosteroids without accompanying oral corticosteroids or antifungal agents decreased the respiratory symptoms, and the infiltrates disappeared from the chest radiograph within a few days.