What Is Fungal Pneumonia?

Respiratory system anatomy diagram

Fungal pneumonia

The three common pathogens that cause fungal pneumonia are: capsular histoplasma causing histiocytosis. Click here to add a picture to illustrate Coccidioidomycosis from coccidioidomycosis, and dermatitis causing bacteriosis Sprouts. Most patients have only mild symptoms and are unaware that they are infected. Some patients are seriously ill.

Overview of fungal pneumonia

Respiratory system anatomy diagram

Most of the causes of primary fungal pneumonia are dermatitis bacillus, capsular histoplasma, or Coccus spores, followed by genus Mycobacterium schenckii, cryptococcus, Aspergillus or Mucor. It is a comorbidity of antibacterial therapy, especially in patients with severe illness or receiving immunosuppressive therapy and AIDS, which has decreased defense function.

Fungal pneumonia disease description

Fungal pneumonia

Histoplasmosis can occur anywhere in the world, but is endemic in river valleys in temperate and tropical climates. In the United States, it most often occurs in the Mississippi and Ohio rivers and in the eastern valleys. More than 80% of residents of the Mississippi and Ohio Valley areas have been exposed to fungi. Most people do not experience symptoms after inhaling the fungus. In fact, most people know they have been exposed to fungi only after skin tests. Patients may have cough, fever, muscle pain and chest pain. Infection can cause acute pneumonia or progress to chronic pneumonia, which can last for months. In rare cases, the infection can spread to other parts of the body, especially the bone marrow, liver, spleen, and gastrointestinal tract. Spread infections can occur in people with AIDS and other immune systems. A sputum fungal test and blood antibody test usually confirm the diagnosis; however, a blood test can only confirm exposure to fungus and is not evidence of fungal disease. Treatment mainly includes antifungal drugs such as itraconazole or amphotericin B.

Clinical features of fungal pneumonia

Fungal pneumonia

1. Often secondary to pneumonia, tuberculosis, diabetes, and blood diseases in infants and young children; application of antibiotics and hormones is the main cause. This is because penicillin can stimulate the over-production of Candida albicans; broad-spectrum antibiotics inhibit bacteria in the body and make Candida lose the bacterial restriction; corticosteroids can suppress the immune function in the body.

2. It has various symptoms and signs of bronchial pneumonia, but the onset is slow. Pneumonia often appears or exacerbates during the application of antibiotics. It may have fever, cough severely, sputum is colorless jelly, and occasionally bloodshot. Auscultation of the lungs may have small and medium blisters.

3. If misdiagnosis and blindly increase antibiotic treatment, often make the condition more serious, but often heal itself after stopping antibiotics.

4. There are often other lesions of Candida infection at the same time, such as thrush is the most common, and some may have fungal diseases such as skin or digestive tract.

5.X-ray chest radiograph: large flaky shadows, more common in the base and middle of the lungs, individual miliary shadows, but there may be changes in the short term.

6. Blood routine: Leukopenia.

7. Sputum smears can detect yeast cells and hyphae of Candida germination.

8. The clinical symptoms are mild and the lung x-ray signs are serious; the use of antibiotics worsens the condition; treatment with antifungal drugs is effective.

Fungal pneumonia

Coccidioidomycosis occurs mainly in semi-arid climates, and is more common in the southwestern United States and some parts of South and Central America. Fungal inhalation can be asymptomatic or cause acute and chronic pneumonia. In some patients, the infection can spread to tissues outside the respiratory tract, mainly the skin, bones, joints, and meninges. This complication is more common in men, especially Filipinos and blacks, as well as people with AIDS and other compromised immune systems. The diagnosis can be confirmed by collecting sputum samples or other infected site samples for fungal or blood antibody tests. Treatment mainly includes antifungal drugs such as fluconazole and amphotericin B.

Bacterial disease occurs mainly in the southeastern, central-south, and midwestern regions of the United States, and around the Great Lakes of North America. After inhalation, the fungus mainly causes lung infections; however, symptoms generally do not appear after infection. Some patients develop flu-like symptoms. In rare cases, symptoms of chronic lung infections can persist for months. Lesions can spread to other parts of the body, with skin, bone, joints and prostate more common. It is usually diagnosed by detecting a fungus in the sputum. Treatment mainly includes antifungal drugs such as itraconazole or amphotericin B.

Information about fungal pneumonia

Other fungal infections occur mainly in those with severe immune dysfunction. These infections include cryptococcosis caused by a new type of cryptococcus; aspergillosis caused by aspergillus; candidiasis caused by candida; and mucormycosis. The four diseases can occur in various regions of the world. Cryptococcosis is the most common type and can occur in healthy people, but severe cryptococcosis is only seen in patients with existing immune system diseases such as AIDS. Cryptococcal disease can spread, especially reaching the meninges, causing cryptococcal meningitis. Aspergillus can cause lung infections in patients with AIDS and organ transplants. Pulmonary candidiasis is a rare infectious disease that mainly occurs in patients with leukopenia, such as leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy. Mucormycosis, a relatively rare fungal infection, most often occurs in patients with severe diabetes or leukemia. The four fungal infections are treated with antifungal drugs such as itraconazole, fluconazole and amphotericin B. However, patients with AIDS or other immune system disorders often fail to recover.

Mycotic pneumonia treatment options

Due to the application of broad-spectrum antibiotics and adrenocortical hormones, the disease has been increasing in recent years. The treatment measures are as follows:

1. After discovering this disease, you should stop using broad-spectrum antibiotics, adrenocortical hormones, immunosuppressants, etc.

2. Strengthen nursing and nutrition, and perform systemic supportive therapies and symptomatic treatment: pay attention to vitamin B family supplements, and there must be sufficient nutrition and calories in the diet; pay attention to the balance of water and electrolytes; if necessary, lose fresh blood to improve the body's immunity.

3. Application of antifungal drugs:

(1) Amphotericin B: It has a strong inhibitory effect on deep candidiasis. It is currently the main drug for deep candidiasis, but the side effects of this medicine are relatively large. High fever, chills, nausea, and vomiting can occur soon after intravenous drip. Waiting for the reaction, long-term application has toxic effects on the liver, kidney, and myocardium, so the course of treatment should not be too long. Usage: 50mg / kg · day, first dissolve this medicinal water for injection in 10ml, and then add 5% 10% glucose solution to dilute to 0.1mg / ml for intravenous drip. After 6 ~ 8 hours, drip the medicine. The bottle was wrapped in black paper and protected from light.

(2) 5-fluorocytosine: It has a good inhibitory effect on Candida, and the single-use effect is worse than amphotericin B, but if the two drugs are combined, there is a synergistic effect, which can increase the efficacy. Side effects are smaller than that of amphotericin B. Gastrointestinal symptoms may occur during application. A few children with long-term application may have liver, kidney damage, and bone marrow suppression. Dosage: 100mg / kg · day, orally or intravenously in 3 to 4 times.

(3) Allicin: it has fungicidal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. Pediatric 10 ~ 40mg daily, add 5% glucose solution (not less than 4 times dilution) intravenously, once a day, the course of treatment is 2 weeks to 2 months. Less side effects.

(4) Erythromycin: The antibacterial effect is the same as that of amphotericin B, and it has a better inhibitory effect on Candida, but compared with amphotericin, it has a weaker antibacterial effect and less toxicity. Usage: For the first time 40 100kg, each time increase 40 100kg, gradually increase to 600 800kg / time, once a day or every other day, intravenous drip.

Fungal pneumonia prevention

1. Strictly grasp the indications, time and dosage of broad-spectrum antibiotics, corticosteroids, cytotoxicity, immunosuppressive drugs and anti-metabolic drugs. 2. Find and treat focal fungal infections in time.

3. Make a detailed physical examination of suspicious cases, and if necessary, culture of fungi such as throat swabs, urine, and blood.

4. Long-term infusion, intravenous intubation, infusion of high nutrient solution, tracheal intubation, etc. should be performed strictly according to aseptic operation.