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Case Reports
. 2021 Nov 1;43(8):e1235-e1237.
doi: 10.1097/MPH.0000000000002235.

Pulmonary Blastomycosis: A Rare Cause of Acute Chest Syndrome and Prolonged Fevers in a Pediatric Patient With Sickle Cell Disease

Michael Halyko  1 , Karen Thompson  2 , Juan P Ruiz  3 , J Paul Scott  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Pulmonary Blastomycosis: A Rare Cause of Acute Chest Syndrome and Prolonged Fevers in a Pediatric Patient With Sickle Cell Disease

Michael Halyko et al. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. .

Abstract

Blastomyces is a fungus found in the soil of regions of North America including the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys. It can be inhaled into the lungs and cause pneumonia and disseminated disease. Although blastomycosis is not widely reported in the sickle cell literature, sickle cell patients may be at increased risk of complications from blastomycosis pneumonia due to their immune compromise and risk of developing acute chest syndrome. We describe the case of a 13-year-old female with homozygous sickle cell disease who presented with pneumonia and acute chest syndrome and was found to have pulmonary blastomycosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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