Fatal disseminated aspergillosis in a previously well young adult with cystic fibrosis.
Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) are often colonized by Aspergillus species in their respiratory tract but rarely develop infection with this fungus. A young woman with CF who had mild pulmonary involvement and who was in good health developed a fulminant illness presenting as brainstem infarction and simulating thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. At necropsy she was found to have disseminated aspergillosis and a depletion of lymphocytes in the thymus-independent zone of splenic follicles. This unique case may be an unusual expression of abnormal T-cell function and the paradoxical histopathologic findings may relate to the disturbance in humoral immunity in children with CF recently described by Matthews et al.
D000328:Adult; D001228:Aspergillosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000150:complications; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology