Pulmonary coccidioidomycosis after a renal transplant in a nonendemic region

Abstract

Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection caused by the Coccidioides species, endemic to the southwestern United States. In healthy people, manifestations range mainly from asymptomatic to mild influenzalike signs, whereas in immunosuppressed patients (eg, transplant recipients) this infection is often a severe disseminated disease. We report a case of primary pulmonary coccidioidomycosis in a 61-year-old man with a renal transplant 7 months earlier. The patient had nonspecific symptoms of pulmonary infection, including weakness, anorexia, and weight loss. Both spherules and endospores of Coccidioides immitis were seen histologically after a transbronchial biopsy of a cavitary lesion. The patient was treated with amphotericin B. At the time of this writing (8 months), he remains disease free. © Başkent University 2014 Printed in Turkey. All Rights Reserved.