In recent years, due to the extensive usage of immunosuppressant and the rise of patients with cancers and organ transplantation, the incidence rate of invasive fungal infection, especially invasive pulmonary fungal infection, has increased. Besides the clinical manifestations, medical history and imaging, the diagnosis of pulmonary mycosis mainly depends on pathogen detection methods in clinical microbiology laboratory. However, due to the difficulty in fungi culturing and the low sensitivity of smear microscopy, better molecular biology methods are needed. To date, the emergence of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has improved the identification rate of pulmonary fungal infections. mNGS is significantly superior to traditional detection methods in rapid, accurate, and comprehensive determination of fungi from various clinical specimens, especially atypical fungi. However, some problems in mNGS method have to be addressed including sample collection, report interpretation, and its combination with traditional microbiology methods. With the in-depth discussion and solution of the above problems, mNGS will be indispensable to the etiological diagnosis of pulmonary invasive fungal infection.
肺隐球菌病（PC）是一种由隐球菌感染引起的急性或亚急性肺部真菌病。好发于免疫功能低下者。在HIV感染者中，PC的发生率为5%~10%。非HIV感染者，PC发病的危险因素包括：结节病、关节炎、Crohn’s病、结缔组织病、肾小球肾炎、糖尿病、肿瘤、实体器官移植受者、接受抗肿瘤坏死因子α治疗、接受激素治疗或免疫抑制剂治疗等。约15%的PC患者没有基础疾病，属于免疫功能健全者。有研究发现免疫功能健全的PC发病与患者吸烟史、既往激素治疗史和曾有肿瘤史相关[1]，这可能与这类患者存在自然免疫缺陷有关[2]。患者没有任何肺原发病症和肺结构异常而形成PC感染称为原发性隐球菌型肺炎，约50%是发生在免疫功能健全的患者中，大多数患者肺为单一受累器官。
Objective To investigate clinical characteristics of community acquired pulmonary crypyococcosis（PC）.Methods A total of 30 cases of PC diagnosed at Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University from Jan 2003 to Dec 2007 were retrospectively analysed.All cases were identified by pathological study.Results The patients consisted of 19 males and 11 females，with median age of 44 years（16 to 70 years），66.7% of whom without underlying deseases and with normal immune function.9 patients（30%） were asymptomatic，and 21 patients（70%） had respiratory and/or constitutional symptoms.The most common symptoms were dry cough（16.7%），expectoration（46.7%），fever（23.3%），chest pain（13.3%） and dyspnea on exertion（13.3%）.All symptoms were mild and often showed a self-limiting trend.The common imaging features were nodule and mass，either solitary or multiple（53.3%），infiltrates and consolidation（40%） or diffused and mixed lesions.Non-caseous granulomas was the main character of patholgical study（96.7%），in which 93.1% with multinucleated giant cells containing abundant vacuolus yeast forms with the periodic acid schiff（PAS） reaction and/or Grocott Gomori’s methenamine silver（GMS） staining postive.Only one case found Cryptococcus neoformans spores in biopsy tissue smear and another in sputum smear.16.7% of the patients had positive biopsy tissue cultures for Cryptococcus neoformans，and 3.3% were positive of sputum cultures.15 patients underwent latex agglutination test for pulmonary cryptococcosis，and 93.3% were positive.Conclusions Some immunocompetent healthy people may compromised with community acquired PC with mild symptoms or even not at all and heterogeneous imaging appearance.Pathology，etiology，and serology were valuable diagnostic tools.
Objective To systematically review the CT characteristic differences between pulmonary cryptococcosis (PC) and lung cancer presenting as solitary nodules. Methods PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and SinoMed were searched to collect case-control studies of the patients with PC and lung cancer presenting as solitary nodules on CT. The search period was from databases establishment to December 2023. We conducted a meta-analysis on the included studies. Results A total of 7 studies were included, 342 PC patients, and 370 lung cancer patients. The meta-analysis results showed that compared with lung cancer, PC patients were more likely to have the following characteristics in CT (P<0.05): nodules located in the lower lobe of the lung [odds ratio (OR)=1.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.39, 2.62)], presence of bronchial inflation sign [OR=5.79, 95%CI (1.45, 23.21)], and halo sign [OR=6.64, 95%CI (2.87, 15.38)]. Compared with PC, lung cancer patients were more likely to have the following characteristics in CT (P<0.05): nodules located in the upper lobe of the lung [OR=0.52, 95%CI (0.35, 0.78)], presence of lobulation sign [OR=0.15, 95%CI (0.08, 0.27)], spiculation sign [OR=0.48, 95%CI (0.35, 0.65)], pleural indentation sign [OR=0.15, 95%CI (0.04, 0.50)], and vascular bundle sign [OR=0.20, 95%CI (0.05, 0.77)]. There was no statistically significant difference in CT between PC patients and lung cancer patients in terms of lesion size, relationship with pleura, vacuolar sign, cavity, and whether the broad base was connected to pleura (P>0.05). Conclusions For CT showing solitary nodules, PC nodules are more likely to be distributed in the lower lobe of the lungs, with bronchial inflation sign and halo sign. Lung cancer nodules are more likely to be distributed in the upper lobe of the lungs, with lobulation sign, spiculation sign, pleural indentation sign and vascular bundle sign.
Objective To invesitgate the clinical characteristics, radiology, diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary cryptococcosis ( PC) . Methods The patients with PC diagnosed form January 2000 to January 2009 from three hospitals of Shanghai and Nanjing were retrospectively analyzed. Results A total of 34 patients were diagnosed, with 24 males and 10 females, and an average age of ( 40. 6 ±13. 5) years old ( ranged from 3 to 72 years) . Twelve patients had underlying diseases and 28 patients had symptoms. The main symptoms were pyrexia ( 20 cases) , cough and expectoration ( 22 cases) , chest pain ( 8 cases) , chest tightness ( 5 cases) , and hemoptysis ( 4 cases) . Seven cases were diagnosed as systemic pulmonary cryptococcosis, in which 3 cases were complicated with cryptococcal meningitis ( CM) , and 3 cases with CM and cryptococcal septicemia, and 1 cases with third dorsal vertebra Busse-Buschke disease. Radiologic manifestations showed multiformand nonspecific lesion such as nodus or nodules in 17 cases, pneumonia in 10 cases, mixed appearance in 6 cases, and diffused military nodes in 1 case. The diagnosis was confirmed by pathological study in 27 cases, including 12 cases by thoracotomy, 10 cases by percutaneous lung biopsy, 1 cases by thoracic vertebra biopsy, and 4 cases by bronchoscope. Ten cases were confirmed with culture positive or smear positive. Six cases were treated by surgery alone, 21 cases by antimycotic drug therapy alone, and 6 cases by drug therapy after surgery. One case quitted after the diagnosis. The duration of treatment varied from 2 weeks to 2 years. One case died in the hospital, 25 cases recovered after discharge, and 8 cases were lost to follow-up. Conclusions PC is likely to be misdiagnosed due to atypical clinical and image manifestations. The diagnosis is always comfirmed on the pathological and microbiological study.
目的:归纳分析42例隐球菌脑膜炎的发病情况、临床特点并总结抗真菌药物的治疗经验,以提高对隐球菌脑膜炎的诊治水平。方法:回顾分析四川大学华西医院2001～2007年所收治42例隐球菌脑膜炎病例的临床表现、实验室检查结果、抗真菌药物的疗效及预后,并对两性霉素B联合5氟胞嘧啶抗真菌治疗的药物剂量、疗效、不良反应以及疗程与预后的关系加以剖析。结果:临床以发热、头痛、颅内压升高、脑膜刺激征为主要表现,采用两性霉素B联合5氟胞嘧啶治疗,总有效率78.5%,42例患者治愈9例,好转24例,死亡5例,自动出院后失访4例。结论:隐球菌脑膜炎由于临床表现、脑脊液常规和生化检查以及影像学检查无明显特异性,易于误诊;脑脊液墨汁染色有助于早期诊断本病,对疑似病例反复进行脑脊液墨汁染色有利于确诊;两性霉素B联合5氟胞嘧啶治疗治疗隐球菌脑膜炎效果良好。但需注重合理应用并密切监测不良反应。
ObjectiveTo investigate the diagnostic value of lateral chromatography for cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide antigen in cryptococcal infection.MethodsThe data of patients who detected cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide antigen in West China Hospital of Sichuan University in 2018 were collected. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide antigen detected by lateral chromatography were analyzed. The samples with positive lateral chromatography and definite clinical diagnosis were compared with the results of ink staining and fungal culture.ResultsA total of 721 cases were detected. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of lateral chromatography detection were 100.00%, 99.39%, 93.93%, 100.00%, respectively. The positive rates of ink staining, fungal culture and cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide antigen for cryptococcal infection were 63.46%, 48.00% and 100.00%, respectively. Sixty-two patients were clinically diagnosed, including 45 cases of cryptococcal meningitis (72.58%), 16 cases of cryptococcal pneumonia (25.81%), and 1 case of bone cryptococcal infection (1.61%).ConclusionsLateral chromatography detection for cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide antigen shows well performing sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of cryptococcal infection. Considering its rapid and simple pre-operation, cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide antigen detection with lateral chromatography has good application value for early diagosis of cryptococcal infection.
Objective To retrospectively analyze the clinical information of a series of patients with cryptococcal neoformans meningitis in order to improve the diagnosis and treatment level. Methods Fifteen patients with etiological diagnosis as cryptococcal neoformans meningitis from January 2004 to December 2009 in the Affiliated Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University were included in the study. The clinical manifestations, treatment and prognosis of those patients were retrospectively analyzed. Results Seven of the total 15 patients were misdiagnosed with misdiagnosis rate of 46.7%. Twelve patients were treated by combination of amphotericin B/Lipo-AMB and fluconazole intravenously infusion, and then followed by the maintenance therapy of fluconazole orally administration, of which 7 were cured, 3 were improved, and 2 died. Five patients undergoing lumbar cisterna drainage were all cured. The follow-up study showed that 4 cases were accompanied by auditory or/and visual dysfunction within 1 to 5 years after hospital discharge. Three cases died that were not treated with anti-fungal drugs. Conclusion The misdiagnosis rate of cryptococcal neoformans meningitis is high. The keys to reduce mortality are raising vigilance, early diagnosis, rational use of antifungal drugs, and effectively lowering the intracranial pressure. The integrated therapy of amphotericin B/Lipo-AMB and fluconazole is effective and safe. Lumbar cisterna drainage can effectively lower the intracranial hypertension, quickly relieve symptoms and improve prognosis.