Lung Transplant Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Lung Transplant, including details on risks, prognosis, procedure, surgery, organ donation.

Broncholith caused by donor-acquired histoplasmosis in a lung transplant recipient.

Shah SS, Karnak D, Shah SN, Budev M, Machuzak M, Gildea TR, Mehta AC

Department of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.

A broncholith is a calcified lymph node that erodes into and partially or completely obstructs the bronchial lumen. The natural history of broncholiths is poorly understood. They are frequently encountered in residents of areas that are endemic for Histoplasma capsulatum and Mycobacterium tuberculum. We report the first case of a broncholith in which the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum was transferred from a donor to a lung transplant (LTx) recipient. Our report highlights the time course of broncholith development and its successful management. We suspect that broncholithiasis and transmission of Histoplasma capsulatum from a donor to the recipient are under-reported in the LTx literature. We hypothesize that histoplasmosis can be transmitted from the donor to the recipient and the duration in the formation of calcification of the lymph node or the broncholith can be anywhere from 2 to 10 months.

Published 3 April 2007 in J Heart Lung Transplant, 26(4): 407-10.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Lung Transplant Research Today. All Rights Reserved.