Involvement of the Tracheobronchial Tree in South American Blastomycosis

¹ Clínica de Moléstias Tropicais e Infectuosas, Hospital das Clínicas, University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine
² Serviço de Endoscopia Perioral, Hospital das Clínicas, University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine
³ 2nd Clínica Médica, Hospital das Clínicas, University of Sao Paulo School of Medicine

Nine cases of tracheobronchial involvement in South American blastomycosis are reported. In three, strictures of the trachea led to severe symptoms and one patient expired. Another type of finding was distortion of the tracheobronchial tree, probably being due to adhesions and cicatricial retraction of the neighboring structures.

Tracheobronchial involvement in this fungus disease does not seem to be unusual; seven instances of such complication have been found in a series of 24 consecutive cases.

Since airway obstruction may be a serious handicap during treatment of South American blastomycosis, the authors suggest that routine bronchoscopy or tomography be carried out so as to assure early detection of tracheobronchial pathology.