A patient with worsening chronic cough, shortness of breath, and hemoptysis tested negative for tuberculosis; but a chest computed tomography scan showed an upper left lobe cavitary lesion.
A 71-year-old, currently homeless male veteran with a 29 pack-year history of smoking and history of alcohol abuse presented to the emergency department at Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center with worsening chronic cough and shortness of breath. He had no history of HIV or immunosuppressant medications. Four weeks prior, he was treated at an outpatient urgent care for community acquired pneumonia with a 10-day course of oral amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 875 mg twice daily and azithromycin 500 mg day 1, then 250 mg days 2 through 5. Despite antibiotic therapy, his symptoms continued to worsen, and he developed hemoptysis. He also reported weight loss of 20 lb in the past 3 months despite a strong appetite and adequate oral intake. He reported no fevers and night sweats. A review of the patient’s systems was otherwise unremarkable.
On examination, the patient was afebrile at 37.2 °C but tachycardic at 108 beats/min. He also was tachypneic at 22 breaths/min with an oxygen saturation of 89% on room air. Decreased breath sounds in the left upper lobe were noted on auscultation of the lung fields. Laboratory test results were notable for a leukocytosis of 14.3 k/μL (reference range, 4-11k/μL) and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) of 25.08 mm/h (reference range, 0-16 mm/h) and C-reactive protein (CRP) of 4.75 mg/L (reference range, 0.00-3.00 mg/L). Liver-associated enzymes and a coagulation panel were within normal limits. His QuantiFERON-TB Gold tuberculosis (TB) blood test was negative. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest was obtained, which showed an interval increase of a known upper left lobe cavitary lesion compared with that of prior imaging and the presence of a ball-shaped lesion in the cavity (Figures 1 and 2).
In addition to the imaging, the patient underwent bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) to further evaluate the upper left lobe cavitary lesion. The differential diagnosis for pulmonary cavities is described in the Table. The BAL aspirates were negative for acid-fast bacteria; however, periodic acid–Schiff stain and Grocott methenamine silver stain showed fungal elements. He was diagnosed with chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosis (CCPA), confirmed with serum antigen (galactomannan assay) and serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) positive for Aspergillus fumigatus (A fumigatus). Mycologic cultures were positive for A fumigatus.
Discussion
Aspergillomas are accumulations of Aspergillus spp hyphae, fibrin, and other inflammatory components that typically occur in preexisting pulmonary cavities.1 They are most frequently caused by A fumigatus, which is ubiquitous in the environment and acquired via inhalation of airborne spores in 90% of cases.2 The typical ball-shaped appearance forms when hyphae growing along the inside walls of the cavity ultimately fall inward, usually leaving a surrounding pocket of air that can be seen on diagnostic imaging. CCPA falls within the chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) category, which includes a spectrum of other subtypes to include single aspergillomas, Aspergillus nodules, and chronic fibrosing pulmonary aspergillosis (CFPA). The prevalence of CPA and its subtypes are limited to case reports and case series in the literature, with reported rates differing up to 40-fold based on region, treatment, and diagnosis criteria.3,4 Models developed by Denning and colleagues mirror those used by The World Health Organization and estimate 1.2 million people have CPA as a sequela to pulmonary TB globally.5