skip to content
Dovepress - Open Access to Scientific and Medical Research
View our mobile site

8830

A necrotic lung ball caused by co-infection with Candida and Streptococcus pneumoniae

Case report

(930) Views  (188) Full article downloads

Authors: Yokoyama T, Sasaki J, Matsumoto K, Koga C, Ito Y, Kaku Y, Tajiri M, Natori H, Hirokawa M

Published Date December 2011 Volume 2011:4 Pages 221 - 224
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S24269

Toshinobu Yokoyama, Jun Sasaki, Keita Matsumoto, Chie Koga, Yusuke Ito, Yoichiro Kaku, Morihiro Tajiri, Hiroki Natori, Masashi Hirokawa
Division of Respirology, Neurology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan

Introduction: A necrotic lung ball is a rare radiological feature that is sometimes seen in cases of pulmonary aspergillosis. This paper reports a rare occurrence of a necrotic lung ball in a young male caused by Candida and Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Case report: A 28-year-old male with pulmonary candidiasis was found to have a lung ball on computed tomography (CT) of the chest. The patient was treated with ß-lactams and itraconazole and then fluconazole, which improved his condition (as found on a following chest CT scan) and serum ß-D-glucan level. The necrotic lung ball was suspected to have been caused by co-infection with Candida and S. pneumoniae.
Conclusion: A necrotic lung ball can result from infection by Candida and/or S. pneumoniae, indicating that physicians should be aware that patients may still have a fungal infection of the lungs that could result in a lung ball, even when they do not have either Aspergillus antibodies or antigens.

Keywords: lung ball, necrotic lung ball, Candida, Streptococcus pneumoniae





 

Other articles by Dr Toshinobu Yokoyama



Readers of this article also read:

Role of aliskiren in cardio-renal protection and use in hypertensives with multiple risk factors
Complicated skin and soft tissue infections: literature review of evidence for and experience with daptomycin
Treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis
Review of oral cholera vaccines: efficacy in young children
Cumulative clinical experience from over a decade of use of levofloxacin in community-acquired pneumonia: critical appraisal and role in therapy
Primary care for diabetes mellitus: perspective from older patients
Demographic features and antibiotic resistance among children hospitalized for urinary tract infection in northwest Iran
Acceptance of a pandemic influenza vaccine: a systematic review of surveys of the general public
Effect of long-term treatment with eyedrops for glaucoma on conjunctival bacterial flora
Effect of Ramadan fasting on metabolic markers, body composition, and dietary intake in Emiratis of Ajman (UAE) with metabolic syndrome
  • Testimonials

    "... I was impressed at the rapidity of publication from submission to final acceptance." Dr Edwin Thrower, PhD, Yale University