Fine needle aspiration of pulmonary adiaspiromycosis: a case report

Acta Cytol. 2007 Mar-Apr;51(2):217-21. doi: 10.1159/000325721.

Abstract

Background: Pulmonary adiaspiromycosis is a common disease of many species of wild rodents and occasionally of humans, caused by the inhalation of spores of the fungus Chrysosporium parvum var crescens (Emmonsia crescens).

Case: A 74-year-old female with pulmonary adiaspiromycosis was diagnosed by radiologically guided lung fine needle aspiration (FNA). The specimen showed intracellular and extracellular 100-300 microm conidia with a distinct thick, trilaminar wall, which was positive for Gomori-methenamine silver and periodic acid-Schiff stain. The background consisted of a granulomatous process.

Conclusion: FNA is an effective method of diagnosing pulmonary adiaspiromycosis, and pathologists need to be aware of the characteristic features of this unusual opportunistic fungal infection.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Biopsy, Fine-Needle
  • Chrysosporium* / cytology
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Female
  • Giant Cells / pathology
  • Histiocytes / pathology
  • Humans
  • Lung / diagnostic imaging
  • Lung / microbiology
  • Lung / pathology
  • Lung Diseases, Fungal / microbiology*
  • Lung Diseases, Fungal / pathology*
  • Lung Diseases, Fungal / physiopathology
  • Mycoses / microbiology*
  • Mycoses / pathology*
  • Mycoses / physiopathology
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Staining and Labeling / methods
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed