COVID-19-Associated Pulmonary Aspergillosis Complicated by Severe Coronavirus Disease: Is Detection of Aspergillus in Airway Specimens Before Disease Onset an Indicator of Antifungal Prophylaxis?

Abstract

A 55-year-old man was admitted for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related respiratory failure. He was treated with corticosteroids and tocilizumab in the intensive care unit. Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) was isolated from his sputum on admission. However, no radiological findings suggesting pulmonary aspergillosis were seen on chest computed tomography (CT). Since the fungus had merely colonized in airways, antifungal drugs were not administered immediately. On day 19 of hospitalization, a high (1->3)-beta-D-glucan (BDG) level was noted. A CT scan on day 22 revealed consolidations with a cavity in the right lung. A. fumigatus was isolated from his sputum again. Thus, we diagnosed the patient with COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) and started voriconazole. After the treatment, BDG levels and radiological findings were noted to improve. In this case, tocilizumab probably had a critical role in developing the disease. Although antifungal prophylaxis therapy for CAPA is not well established, this case shows that detecting Aspergillus in airway specimens before the disease onset possibly implies a high risk of developing CAPA and is an indicator of antifungal prophylaxis.