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What is fungal pneumonia?
Fungal pneumonia is an infection of the lungs caused by one or more pathogenic or opportunistic fungi. Fungal infections occur after you inhale the spores or are caused by an underlying infection. Hematogenous spread occurs frequently, especially in people with compromised immune systems.
Endemic fungal pathogens (eg, Histoplasma capsulatum, Coccidioides immitis, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, Sporothrix schenckii, Cryptococcus neoformans ) are responsible for infections in healthy individuals and in immunocompromised individuals.
Opportunistic fungi (eg, Candida species, Aspergillus, Mucor) tend to cause pneumonia in patients with congenital or acquired defects.
Symptom
What are the signs and symptoms of fungal pneumonia?
Symptoms of fungal pneumonia include:
- Persistent fever in immunocompromised patients may be a sign of opportunistic lung disease or systemic fungal infection
- Dry cough
- Chest discomfort
- Difficulty breathing, especially with exertion
- Coughing up blood is a relatively common symptom of aspergillosis/mucormycosis
- Endemic mycoses can cause lymphadenopathy and large airway obstruction through pressure effects
- Endemic fungal diseases tend to cause symptoms of “joint” syndrome.
- Endemic fungal diseases can also cause hematological symptoms of the skin, brain, bones, joints and general infection
- Infection with Aspergillus, Candida spp. and other opportunistic fungi can cause hypersensitivity symptoms
- Symptoms due to effects on other organs related to the lungs (especially in immunodeficiencies), e.g. meningitis /brain abscess, skin, kidney, liver, muscle lesions, endophthalmitis, sinusitis, systemic infections affecting the blood and bone marrow.
You may experience other symptoms not mentioned. If you have any questions about the symptoms, consult your doctor.
When do you need to see a doctor?
If you have any of the signs or symptoms listed above or have any questions, please consult your doctor. Each person’s constitution is different. So please consult your doctor to choose the most appropriate option.
Reason
What causes fungal pneumonia?
Causes of fungal pneumonia include:
- The fungus Histoplasma causes primary lung damage and is often transmitted through the blood
- Coccidioidomycosis , which begins as a “usually self-limiting respiratory infection” (also known as “valley fever” or “San Joaquin fever”)
- Disease caused by Blastomycosis fungus
- Pneumonia, which often occurs in people with immunodeficiencies, especially AIDS
- Sporotrichosis . This disease mainly involves the skin but can also involve the lungs
- Cryptococcus fungal infection . This fungus is transmitted through inhalation of soil contaminated with yeast, and the disease often manifests as an infection in the lungs
- Aspergillus fungal infection . This fungus will cause invasive aspergillosis in the lungs
- Candida infection manifests in the lungs of immunocompromised patients but is rare
- Pulmonary Scedosporiosis . This fungus is caused by Allescheria boydii, which is also a rare cause of fungal infections in the lungs.
Who often gets fungal pneumonia?
Fungal pneumonia is an uncommon health condition. The disease can affect patients of any age and usually affects men more than women. You can control this disease by minimizing risk factors. Please consult your doctor for more detailed information.
What factors increase the risk of fungal pneumonia?
There are many factors that increase the risk of fungal pneumonia, such as:
- Acute leukemia or lymphoma during myeloid chemotherapy
- Stem cell transplantation from bone marrow or peripheral blood cells
- Organs transplanted for immunosuppressive treatment
- Long-term corticosteroid treatment
- Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
- Prolonged leukopenia due to different causes
- Congenital immunodeficiency syndrome
- Infection after spleen removal
- Genetic predisposition.
Diagnosis and treatment
The information provided is not a substitute for professional medical advice, so it is best to consult your doctor.
What medical techniques are used to diagnose fungal pneumonia?
The diagnosis of fungal pneumonia is actually very difficult and is often made on an assumed basis. The diagnostic method will be based on a combination of clinical examination, X-rays and microbiological factors. If no molecular fungal markers are detected in serum or other biological samples, the physician will proceed with noninvasive diagnosis, which may assist in deciding on treatment.
The simplest and cheapest method is to culture the fungus from the patient’s respiratory fluid. However, this test is not only insensitive but also takes time, which is a major obstacle because studies have shown that delay in diagnosing fungal pneumonia can increase the risk of death.
Another method is microscopy, but it is also slow and inaccurate. The addition of classical methods helps to detect antigens. This technique is significantly faster but may be less sensitive and specific than classical methods.
Quantitative PCR-based molecular testing is also available from myconostica. Based on DNA findings, this is the most sensitive and specific test available for fungal testing but it can only detect jirovecii and aspergillus pneumonia.
What methods are used to treat fungal pneumonia?
Treatment for fungal pneumonia must include antifungal agents. The antifungal drugs used must be selected based on the isolated or suspected pathogen with particular clinical signs.
Many antifungal drugs are available, including classical antibiotics, first-line, second-line, and third-line triazoles and echinocandins. Amphotericin B is used less frequently and when used it is usually in a nano formulation to reduce toxicity.
Prevent
What measures can help you prevent fungal pneumonia?
The following lifestyles and remedies can help you cope with fungal pneumonia:
- HIV- infected patients are treated daily with prophylactic antifungal medications to avoid opportunistic fungal infections, especially Cryptococcus neoformans.
- Organ transplant patients may also benefit from prophylactic antifungal agents
- Fluconazole has some benefit as prophylaxis against invasive fungal infections in organ transplant patients
- Patients with persistent leukopenia should avoid activities that increase exposure to fungal spores in the environment, such as gardening or tending to plants and flowers, cleaning, construction work, and Handling uncooked vegetables.
