A Case of Coccidioidomycosis Manifested as Solitary Pulmonary Nodule.

Yang, Hyun Suk; Lee, Jaechun; Lim, Chae Man; Lee, Sang Do; Koh, Younsuck; Kim, Woo Sung; Kim, Dong Soon; Kim, Won Dong; Son, Kwang Hyun; Shim, Tae Sun

doi:1999.46.2.266

Tuberc Respir Dis > Volume 46(2); 1999 > Article

Case Report

Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases 1999;46(2):266-272.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4046/trd.1999.46.2.266 Published online February 1, 1999.

A Case of Coccidioidomycosis Manifested as Solitary Pulmonary Nodule.

Hyun Suk Yang, Jaechun Lee, Chae Man Lim, Sang Do Lee, Younsuck Koh, Woo Sung Kim, Dong Soon Kim, Won Dong Kim, Kwang Hyun Son, Tae Sun Shim

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
²Department of Thoracic surgery, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection acquired by inhalation of the arthrospore of Coccidioides immitis, and endemic disease in specific geographic areas, such as south central California, south Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. Approximately 60 percent of infected people is asymptomatic and the remainders mostly exhibit respiratory complaints, from flu-like coughing to overt pneumonia. Usually the infection due to Coccidioides immitis is self-limited. Symptoms resolve within several weeks but radiographic abnormalities could be resolved more slowly. If the radiographic abnormalities persist more than 8 weeks, the term 'chronic pulmonary coccidioidomycosis'is designated. They take forms of nodules, cavities or progressive pneumonia. When manifested as nodule(s), lung malignancy is suspected as a possible diagnosis and histologic confirmation is needed. Here, we report a case of chronic pulmonary coccidioidomycosis manifested as solitary pulmonary nodule in a Korean woman who has traveled in Arizona, which is diagnosed fianlly by lobectomy and histologic examination.

Key Words: Coccidioidomycosis, Solitary pulmonary nodule