Prevalence of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis in fibrocavitary pulmonary tuberculosis patients

Abstract

A BSTRACT Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is still a global health issue. While the lungs are the most commonly affected, infections can also affect other organs. Because of the rise in immunocompromised hosts, the number of opportunistic infections has skyrocketed. In instances of aspergilloma and chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA), pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is the most usually linked condition. Material and Methods: The current cross-sectional study was conducted on 42 study participants from January 2018 to June 2019. Results: Aspergilloma was observed in two participants (4.8%) of the study population. Candida growth was observed in five participants (11.9%) of the study population on sputum fungal culture. Aspergillus growth and Candida growth was observed in three (7.1%) and two (4.8%) participants of the study population, respectively, on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fungal culture. Aspergillus IgG antibody was positive in four particpants (9.5%) of study population. Out of the 42 participants, four were diagnosed with CPA. Conclusion: Since CPA and PTB patients present similar symptoms, it is virtually impossible to distinguish between the two unless serological test is performed. There has been a significant burden of patients with CPA, especially in post tuberculosis fibro-cavitation. CPA patients requires long-term anti-fungal therapy; hence an improved case detection should be undertaken.

Chronic Pulmonary Aspergillosis as a Considerable Complication in Post-Tuberculosis Lung Disease

“…56,57 Aspergillus fumigatus is more commonly detected in persistent cavities and bronchiectasis of post-TB, the prevalence of which varies widely in literature. 58 Menon et al 59 found that 40% of patients after TB treatment had residual lesions, including fibrosis (39%), cavity (21%), bronchiectasis (4%), and calcification (3%). In a Chinese study, PTLD was the second most common cause of bronchiectasis, with a prevalence of 16%, 60 whereas it was the commonest cause in a large Indian study.…”