José Wellington Alves dos Santos, Gustavo Trindade Michel, Mônica Lazzarotto,
Juliana Kaczmareck Figaro, Daniel Spilmann, Gustavo Köhler Homrich
J Bras Pneumol.2009;35(11):1161-1164
Histoplasmosis is a systemic mycosis caused by the thermally dimorphic fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, which can be isolated from soil contaminated with droppings from birds or bats. Chronic cavitary pulmonary histoplasmosis is one of the rarest clinical presentations of this disease. The differential diagnosis with tuberculosis should be made in patients presenting with cavitated lesions in upper lung segments. We report the case of a female patient with chronic cavitary pulmonary histoplasmosis who had presented with progressive dyspnea and worsening of the radiological pattern over a four-year period.
Keywords: Histoplasmosis; Cavitation; Pulmonary emphysema.