title: Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis after influenza a infection in an immunocompetent patient.
abstract: Invasive aspergillosis has emerged as a major cause of life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. Recently, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, who have been receiving corticosteroids for a long period, and immunocompetent patients in the intensive care unit have been identified as nontraditional hosts at risk for invasive aspergillosis. Here, we report a case of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis after influenza in an immunocompetent patient. The patient's symptoms were nonspecific, and the patient was unresponsive to treatments for pulmonary bacterial infection. Bronchoscopy revealed mucosa hyperemia, and wide, raised and cream-colored plaques throughout the trachea and both the main bronchi. Histologic examination revealed aspergillosis. The patient recovered quickly when treated systemically with voriconazole, although the reported mortality rates for aspergillosis are extremely high. This study showed that invasive aspergillosis should be considered in immunocompetent patients who are unresponsive to antibiotic treatments; further, early extensive use of all available diagnostic tools, especially bronchoscopy, is mandatory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Oh Kyung
authors.initials: OK
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Myung Goo
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyo Sun
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Min Sun
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyoung Min
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kwak
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Hallym University Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: So Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Park
keywords: Immunocompetence; Influenza A Virus; Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis