Pulmonary Coccidioidomycosis in Immunocompetent Patient.

Kim, Se Won; Oh, Jin Young; Kim, Eo Jin; Park, Gun Min

doi:2009.66.3.220

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 66(3); 2009 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 2009;66(3):220-224.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.2009.66.3.220 Published online March 1, 2009.

Pulmonary Coccidioidomycosis in Immunocompetent Patient.

Se Won Kim, Jin Young Oh, Eo Jin Kim, Gun Min Park

¹Department of Internal Medicine, University of Dongguk College of Medicine, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea. pgm1134@duih.org
²Department of Pathology, University of Dongguk College of Medicine, Dongguk University Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea.

Abstract

Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection caused by the soil fungus, Coccidioides immitis, which is endemic to the south-western United States. However, the incidence of coccidioidomycosis has recently increased due to the increase in overseas travel to endemic areas. We report a case of pulmonary coccidioidomycosis diagnosed in an immunocompetent person. A 28-year-old female, who had lived in Phoenix, Arizona, USA for 2 years, was admitted for an evaluation of persistent cough with fever lasting for 2 weeks. The chest X-ray and Chest CT revealed multifocal patchy consolidation and ground-glass opacity in both lungs as well as multiple enlarged right hilar and paratracheal lymph nodes. A percutaneous needLe biopsy of the main mass-like consolidation confirmed mature spherules of Coccidioides immitis in lung tissue. Pulmonary coccidioidomycosis should be considered in patients presenting with persistent cough with fever and a history of travel to or immigration from an endemic area.

Key Words: Fungi, Coccidioidomycosis, Cough, Fever