AI Article Synopsis
- - The study focuses on the prevalence and characteristics of pulmonary mycoses in patients who have smear-negative tuberculosis in the Brazilian Amazon.
- - Conducted at two tuberculosis reference institutions, the study analyzed 213 patients using various diagnostic methods and found that 7% were diagnosed with pulmonary mycoses, particularly aspergillosis and paracoccidioidomycosis.
- - A significant number of patients with pulmonary mycoses were former tuberculosis sufferers, with common symptoms including chronic cough and lung cavitation injuries.
Article Abstract
Background: Pulmonary mycoses resemble clinically and radiologically chronic pulmonary tuberculosis. Studies describing the prevalence, etiology and clinical features of pulmonary mycosis are of crucial importance in the Brazilian Amazon.
Aims: To estimate the frequency of pulmonary mycoses in smear-negative tuberculosis patients; to describe their demographic, epidemiological, and clinical characteristics; and to evaluate diagnostic methods.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at two tuberculosis reference institutions in Amazonas, Brazil. We included 213 patients and collected clinical data, blood and induced sputum to perform serological, direct microscopy, microbiologic culture and PCR-based assays to identify infections caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Histoplasma capsulatum, Cryptococcus, and HIV. Chest computed tomography was also performed.
Results: Pulmonary mycoses were diagnosed in 7% (15/213) of the cases, comprising ten aspergillosis cases, three cases of paracoccidioidomycosis and one case each of histoplasmosis and cryptococcosis. Among the patients with pulmonary mycoses, 86.7% were former tuberculosis patients. The most significant clinical characteristics associated with pulmonary mycoses were cavity-shaped lung injuries, prolonged chronic cough and hemoptysis.
Conclusions: Our study confirmed the high prevalence of pulmonary mycoses in smear-negative tuberculosis patients in the Brazilian Amazon.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.riam.2020.12.004 | DOI Listing |
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