title: Practice guidelines for the management of patients with blastomycosis. Infectious Diseases Society of America.
abstract: Guidelines for the treatment of blastomycosis are presented; these guidelines are the consensus opinion of an expert panel representing the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Mycoses Study Group and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. The clinical spectrum of blastomycosis is varied, including asymptomatic infection, acute or chronic pneumonia, and extrapulmonary disease. Most patients with blastomycosis will require therapy. Spontaneous cures may occur in some immunocompetent individuals with acute pulmonary blastomycosis. Thus, in a case of disease limited to the lungs, cure may have occurred before the diagnosis is made and without treatment; such a patient should be followed up closely for evidence of disease progression or dissemination. In contrast, all patients who are immunocompromised, have progressive pulmonary disease, or have extrapulmonary disease must be treated. Treatment options include amphotericin B, ketoconazole, itraconazole, and fluconazole. Amphotericin B is the treatment of choice for patients who are immunocompromised, have life-threatening or central nervous system (CNS) disease, or for whom azole treatment has failed. In addition, amphotericin B is the only drug approved for treating blastomycosis in pregnant women. The azoles are an equally effective and less toxic alternative to amphotericin B for treating immunocompetent patients with mild to moderate pulmonary or extrapulmonary disease, excluding CNS disease. Although there are no comparative trials, itraconazole appears more efficacious than either ketoconazole or fluconazole. Thus, itraconazole is the initial treatment of choice for nonlife-threatening non-CNS blastomycosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS 39216-4505, USA. schapman@medicine.umsmed.edu
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Bradsher
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Pappas
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Kauffman
mesh_terms: D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001393:Azoles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001758:Blastomyces / Q000187:drug effects; D001759:Blastomycosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D001393:Azoles; D000666:Amphotericin B