Lymphocytic pleural effusion in acute melioidosis.
An endemic outbreak of melioidosis developed in southern Taiwan following a flood caused by a typhoon in July 2005. A total of 27 patients were diagnosed with the acute and indigenous form of pulmonary melioidosis. Parapneumonic pleural effusions were noted on chest X-rays in six patients. Thoracentesis was done in three patients and all revealed lymphocyte predominance in differential cell count. Burkholderia pseudomallei was isolated in the pleural effusion in one of them. All three patients survived after antibiotic treatment. Lymphocytic pleural effusion is generally seen in tuberculosis or malignancy. However, our findings suggest that melioidosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of lymphocytic pleural effusion.
Chung
Kuo-Mou
KM
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Tainan Municipal Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan. kuomou.chung@msa.hinet.net
Chou
Deng-Wei
DW
Chen
Chang-Hung
CH
Cheung
Bruno Man-Hon
BM
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D004190:Disasters; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008218:Lymphocytosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008554:Melioidosis / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology