SELF-LIMITED BLASTOMYCOSIS - REPORT OF 13 CASES

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Abstract
Although blastomycosis is not generally a self-limited pulmonary infection, 13 patients with blastomycosis followed a self-limited course. Presenting complaints were usually those of an acute pulmonary infection with fever, productive cough and pleuritic chest pain. The duration of symptoms before diagnosis was usually less than 4 wk (range, 1 wk-3 mo.). Chest roentgenograms were variable and not diagnostic. The blastomycin skin test and complement-fixing serologies to blastomycin were generally not helpful. In all patients the diagnosis was made by cultural or visual identification of the organism from sputum, bronchial washings or pleural fluid. All patients improved clinicallyand by chest roentgenograms by the time the diagnosis was reached, and thus therapy was withheld. Follow-up of these 13 patients ranged from 5 mo-8 yr (mean, 43 mo.) and in no instance was there any evidence of reactivation of the illness.

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