Bilateral pulmonary shadows and incapsulated mediastinal effusion in a patient with respiratory blastoschizomycosis.
BACKGROUND
Invasive blastoschizomycosis is an emerging and fatal infection of severely immunocompromised patients. Pneumonia caused by this fungus has been reported as a post mortem diagnosis in a patient with haematologic malignancy.


METHODS
A 46-year-old unemployed Caucasian man, smoker, was admitted on emergency in a serious condition, with bilateral pulmonary infiltrates (chest x-ray) and incapsulated mediastinal pleural effusions (computed tomography scans). Blastoschizomyces capitatus (Trichosporon capitatum) has been isolated from two sputum samples and bronchial secretion aspirate obtained by bronchoscopy.


CONCLUSIONS
Pneumonia caused by Blastoschizomyces capitatus can develop in subjects without underlying malignancy but with history of heavy alcohol intake, tobacco smoking and malnutrition and may have favorable disease outcome.
Pesut
Dragica
D
School of Medicine University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia. dppesut@verat.net
Adzic
Tatjana
T
Tosic
Tanja
T
Zugi
Vladimir
V
Stevic
Ruza
R
Nagorni-Obradovic
Ljudmila
L
Gvozdenovic
Eleonora
E
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001510:Bed Rest; D001758:Blastomyces / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001759:Blastomycosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D008172:Lung Diseases, Fungal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008482:Mediastinum; D008875:Middle Aged; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy; D012307:Risk Factors; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents