A case of acute progressive respiratory failure resulting from pulmonary aspergillosis with pulmonary oxalosis
Tomoko Ishifujia Masahiro Takakia Yoshiko Tsuchihashib Hiroyuki Yoshiminec Konosuke Morimotoa Koya Ariyoshia
aDepartment of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University
bJuzenkai Hospital
cInoue Hospital
A 64-year-old man complaining of fever and breathlessness was referred to our hospital with a provisional diagnosis of severe pneumonia. There was no apparent medical history suggestive of immunodeficiency. A diagnosis of pulmonary aspergillosis was made based on isolation of Aspergillus niger from airway secretions collected by bronchoscopy. Despite intensive care with broad-spectrum antibiotics and antifungal agent, respiratory failure progressed rapidly, and the patient died ten days after admission. A postmortem autopsy revealed vaso-invasive aspergillosis with deposition of calcium oxalate crystals in the lungs. We report a case of severe pulmonary aspergillosis complicated by deposition of calcium oxalate crystals resulting from A. niger infection, leading to severe inflammation and tissue injury in the lungs.
Pulmonary aspergillosis Calcium oxalate Respiratory failure Pulmonary oxalosis
Received 30 Aug 2012 / Accepted 7 Feb 2013
AJRS, 2(4): 370-374, 2013