Pulmonary infiltration with eosinophilia (PIE) syndrome induced by antibiotics, PIPC and TFLX during cancer treatment

Piperacillin-associated pulmonary infiltrates with eosinophilia: a case report

A case of pulmonary infiltrates with eosinophilia attributed to piperacillin tazobactam therapy is described. A 54-year-old woman was treated for a suspected severe urinary tract infection with piperacillin tazobactam. Four days later, she developed fever, chills, shortness of breath and intermittent chest pains. Eosinophilia was noted in peripheral blood and, subsequently, on bronchoalveolar lavage. Transbronchial biopsy showed tissue infiltrates with eosinophilia. No evidence of bacterial, fungal and parasitic infection, or vasculitis was observed. Her symptoms and peripheral eosinophilia subsided after drug discontinuation and oral prednisone treatment. Piperacillin is an extended-spectrum penicillin antibiotic prescribed for moderate to severe infections. The common adverse reactions to piperacillin include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and rash. Pulmonary infiltrates with eosinophilia is a rare adverse reaction, but one that may result in significant morbidity. Physicians should be aware of this rare but important adverse reaction to piperacillin.

Disseminated cryptococcal infection with eosinophilia in a healthy person

A 23-year-old man with no recent medical history was hospitalized complaining of high fever and cough. In addition to very marked eosinophilia, chest X-ray revealed extensive bronchovascular bundle thickening. Transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) showed moderate eosinophil infiltration. Cryptococcus neoformans infection was diagnosed, based on blood culture, cerebrospinal fluid culture, urine culture, and lung biopsy specimens. The eosinophilia was successfully alleviated by treatment for cryptococcal meningitis. Furthermore, cryptococcal sepsis resolved with amphotericin B and 5-flucytosine treatment. Eosinophilia commonly occurs following chronic Aspergillus infection, but the present case suggests the involvement of Cryptococcus in another mechanism for eosinophilia.

DNA identification of the pathogen of candidal aspiration pneumonia induced in the course of oral cancer therapy

Aspiration of oropharyngeal bacteria and fungi is occasionally suspected in patients with pneumonia. A patient with oral carcinoma underwent chemoradioimmunotherapy and, about 4 weeks from the start of the therapy, the patient suffered from severe oral mucositis induced by chemoradiotherapy, and candidal pneumonia was subsequently induced. The candidal pneumonia was insufficiently improved by potent antifungal drugs, taking a lethal course. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis and DNA sequence examination of strains isolated from the oral cavity 1 week before the onset of pneumonia and autopsied lung revealed the identity of both strains as Candida albicans, and the DNA analysis supported aspiration of oral Candida. These results indicate that the pathogen of the pneumonia, C. albicans, was aspirated from the oral cavity and that oral Candida is easily aspirated and becomes the pathogen of pneumonia.