title: Pulmonary mucormycosis (Cunninghamella bertholletiae) with cavitation diagnosed using ultra-thin fibre-optic bronchoscopy.
abstract: Recently, ultra-thin bronchoscopy has made it possible to observe smaller bronchi not visualized using standard techniques. We describe a case of pulmonary mucormycosis with cavitation, diagnosed using an ultra-thin bronchoscope. A 15-year-old girl with acute myeloid leukaemia had taken oral prednisolone, 60 mg/day, for graft versus host disease after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. She was admitted to our hospital with fever and a large cavitary lesion in the right hilum. Using an ultra-thin bronchoscope, the interior of the cavity in the superior segment of the right lower lobe was observed. The bronchoscopic findings revealed debris adhering to the cavity wall with a small volume of effusion. Cunninghamella bertholletiae was isolated from the effusion specimen obtained using the bronchoscope. Pulmonary mucormycosis (C. bertholletiae) complicating an immunocompromised state was diagnosed. Ultra-thin bronchoscopy is useful to diagnose complex pulmonary infections and more research is needed to verify its clinical indications and utility.
authors.affiliation: Division of Respiratory Diseases, Department of Medicine, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan. yagi@med.kawasaki-m.ac.jp
authors.forename: Shin-Ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miyashita
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Obase
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Ayaka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyauchi
authors.forename: Kouzou
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawasaki
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Soda
authors.forename: Mikio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D020680:Bronchoscopes; D001999:Bronchoscopy; D020093:Cunninghamella; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009091:Mucormycosis / Q000175:diagnosis*