A Case of Allergic Bronchopulmonary Mycosis Caused by Cordyceps farinosa, a Species of Caterpillar Fungi.

Cordyceps militaris

Energy & fatigue

SpeciesCordyceps, Scarlet Club

JournalCureus

Year2024

Key points

A female patient in her thirties presented with persistent cough and sputum, unresponsive to conventional treatments
Chest imaging showed infiltrative opacities and high attenuation mucus
On laboratory examination, eosinophil counts and immunoglobulin E were elevated
Cordyceps farinosa,a species of caterpillar fungi, was identified by bronchoscopy and subsequent DNA sequencing from the mucus plug
The symptoms improved after the removal of mucus plugs and cessation of exposure to the work environment
Herein, we report this case to understand the disease spectrum of ABPM and the pathogenicity of this rare fungi

Metadata-grounded summary

Citation abstract

A female patient in her thirties presented with persistent cough and sputum, unresponsive to conventional treatments. Chest imaging showed infiltrative opacities and high attenuation mucus. On laboratory examination, eosinophil counts and immunoglobulin E were elevated. Cordyceps farinosa,a species of caterpillar fungi, was identified by bronchoscopy and subsequent DNA sequencing from the mucus plug. The symptoms improved after the removal of mucus plugs and cessation of exposure to the work environment. Allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (ABPM) caused by C. farinosa has not been reported, and its pathogenicity is not well recognized. Herein, we report this case to understand the disease spectrum of ABPM and the pathogenicity of this rare fungi.

Citation

Sakano Y, Okumura T, Kofuku T, Kidaka S, Nakata Y, Katsura S, et al. (2024). A Case of Allergic Bronchopulmonary Mycosis Caused by Cordyceps farinosa, a Species of Caterpillar Fungi. Cureus https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.68366 PMID: 39355473

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