title: Clinical characteristics of patients with Aspergillus species isolation from respiratory samples: Comparison of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis and colonization.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With advancements in anti-fungal drugs, it has become more important to correctly diagnose chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA); however, it is not easy to distinguish CPA from colonization when Aspergillus species are isolated from respiratory samples. The aim of the study was to clarify the particular clinical characteristics of patients with CPA vs. those with colonization.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 110 patients with Aspergillus species isolation from respiratory samples, to analyze and compare the differences between CPA and colonization of the Aspergillus species.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median age of all analyzed was 71 years (range: 31-92 years); 64 were female (58%). The most frequently cultured Aspergillus species was Aspergillus fumigatus (48.3%), followed by A. niger (29.2%). Thirty patients (27.4%) were diagnosed with CPA, vs. 75 (68.2%) with colonization and 5 (4.5%) with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Compared with the colonization group, the CPA group included more males (CPA vs. colonization: 49.3% vs. 13.3%) and subjects with a low body mass index (18.45 kg/m2 vs. 21.09 kg/m2). As for the underlying pulmonary diseases, the patients with CPA showed a significantly higher prevalence of sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis (40% vs. 8%) and a history of thoracic surgery (43% vs. 13%) than those with colonization. Asthma was less frequent in the CPA group than in the colonization group (0% vs. 20%). We found no significantly important underlying extrapulmonary diseases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with CPA display clinical characteristics distinct from those seen in subjects with colonization.
authors.affiliation: Division of Respirology, NTT Medical Center Tokyo, 5-9-22 Higashigotanda, Shinagawa, Tokyo 141-8625, Japan. Electronic address: sayakaohara@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sayaka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.affiliation: Central Clinical Laboratory, NTT Medical Center Tokyo, 5-9-22 Higashigotanda, Shinagawa, Tokyo 141-8625, Japan. Electronic address: ytazawa@east.ntt.co.jp.
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tazawa
authors.affiliation: Division of Respirology, NTT Medical Center Tokyo, 5-9-22 Higashigotanda, Shinagawa, Tokyo 141-8625, Japan. Electronic address: tanai@east.ntt.co.jp.
authors.forename: Chiharu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tanai
authors.affiliation: Division of Respirology, NTT Medical Center Tokyo, 5-9-22 Higashigotanda, Shinagawa, Tokyo 141-8625, Japan. Electronic address: tanaka.yoshiaki@east.ntt.co.jp.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.affiliation: Division of Respirology, NTT Medical Center Tokyo, 5-9-22 Higashigotanda, Shinagawa, Tokyo 141-8625, Japan. Electronic address: hnoda@east.ntt.co.jp.
authors.forename: Hiromichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Noda
authors.affiliation: Central Clinical Laboratory, NTT Medical Center Tokyo, 5-9-22 Higashigotanda, Shinagawa, Tokyo 141-8625, Japan. Electronic address: horiuchi-path@umin.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Horiuchi
authors.affiliation: Division of Respirology, NTT Medical Center Tokyo, 5-9-22 Higashigotanda, Shinagawa, Tokyo 141-8625, Japan. Electronic address: usui@east.ntt.co.jp.
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Usui
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000145:classification / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000150:complications; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D055732:Pulmonary Aspergillosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000401:mortality; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000382:microbiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D019616:Thoracic Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Aspergillus species; Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis; Colonization; Respiratory samples