Journal
BMC PULMONARY MEDICINE
Volume 23, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
BMC
DOI: 10.1186/s12890-023-02316-8
Keywords
Spherical pneumonia; Ralstonia mannitolilytica; Metagenomic next-generation sequencing; Case report
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
A 29-year-old female with persistent cough and sputum was diagnosed with spherical pneumonia caused by R. mannitolilytica. Treatment with anti-infective medication and traditional Chinese medicine led to significant improvement.
BackgroundSpherical pneumonia is an extremely rare condition that is difficult to diagnose. It is a specific type of lung infection that often manifests as a round or round-like mass on chest imaging. Spherical pneumonia is easily misdiagnosed as a pulmonary tumor; therefore, awareness of this disease must be strengthened.Case presentationThe patient was a 29-year-old female who had persistent cough and sputum for approximately 1 month and fever for 5 days. Chest computed tomography (CT) at our hospital revealed a mass in the lower lobe of the right lung near the hilar region, with obstructive pulmonary atelectasis and obstructive pneumonia. Although lung cancer was suspected, Ralstonia mannitolilytica was detected by metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and no cancer cells or Mycobacterium tuberculosis were detected. Finally, the patient was diagnosed with spherical pneumonia caused by R. mannitolilytica. Anti-infective treatment, symptomatic treatment, and administration of a traditional Chinese medicine decoction were performed based on the syndrome differentiation. After 10 days of treatment, chest CT revealed few lesions in the lower lobe of the right lung, which were significantly reduced compared with those in the past.ConclusionsSpherical pneumonia caused by R. mannitolilytica has not yet been reported and differential diagnosis is key in clinical diagnosis. When spherical pneumonia is difficult to diagnose, mNGS may be a better alternative.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available