COVID-19 presenting as pneumatoceles and spontaneous cavitary lesion as a late complication

We report a case of an adult patient with COVID-19 pneumonia presenting as pneumatoceles as a late complication. These pneumatoceles are steroid-resistant and can predispose to cavitary lesions. These cystic lesions need close follow-up with repeat imaging as these can increase the risk of pneumothorax. It can take up to around 12 weeks for the spontaneous resolution of pneumatoceles.

1303. A Rare Case of Legionella micdadei Lung Abscess in an Immunocompromised Patient

Background Legionella micdadei is the most common legionella species causing infection after L. pneumophila. It usually causes infection in immunocompromised hosts and leads to nodules with tendency to cavitate. It is difficult to culture which makes diagnosis challenging. We report a case or L. micdadei in an immunocompromised host with cavitary pneumonia. Methods Case Report. An 82 year-old female presented with upper abdominal pain for one day duration. She has history of hypertension, coronary artery disease, hyperlipidemia, heart failure, and hypothyroidism. She was diagnosed with hypersensitivity pneumonia 5 months prior, treated with prednisone (40 mg daily). The pain was not associated with nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. She was found with hypoxia despite she denied shortness of breath, cough, hemoptysis or chest pain. There was no fever, chills, headache, myalgia or upper respiratory symptoms. She was afebrile, tachycardic 134/min and hypoxic to 88% on room air. White cell count was 22x10(3) /mcL (90% neutrophils), hemoglobin was 10.4 g/dL, creatinine was 1.23 mg/dL and lactic acid was 3.6 mmol/L. Chest CT scan showed left lower lobe cavitary lesion with surrounding infiltrates (image 1). Quantiferon gold, serum galagtomannan, B-D-glucan, and vasculitis work-up were negative. Bronchoscopy showed a patent airway. Bronchial smears and cultures were negative for bacteria, fungi and mycobacteria. The patient was treated with ceftriaxone and metronidazole with de-escalation to amoxicillin/clavulanate. Bronchial culture was positive for legionella micdadei after discharge, azithromycin was added. Image 1. Cavitary lesion on thoracic CT Results Our patient was considered immunocompromised given steroid use, predisposing her for L. micdadei infection. L. micdadei is considered an opportunistic infection and was reported in hematologic malignancy population. It can cause an invasive lung disease with lung cavities. It needs special media for growth making it difficult to diagnose especially it is not detected by legionella urine antigen. Conclusion L. micdadei should be considered in the differential diagnosis for cavitary lung lesions in immunocompromised patients. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures

Proven pulmonary aspergillosis in a COVID-19 patient: A case report

Background and Purpose: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a significant clinical challenge in healthcare settings all over the world. Critically ill COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome may be at increased risk of co-infection with pulmonary aspergillosis. This study aimed to describe a clinical case of proven pulmonary aspergillosis caused by Aspergillus tubingensis in a 59-year-old man with a history of hospitalization due to COVID-19 infection. Case report: The Covid-19 infection was confirmed by positive nasopharyngeal polymerase chain reaction. He had a cavitary lesion measured 20 mm in diameter with intracavitary soft tissue density in the left lung in the first chest computerized tomography scan. After 25 days, he showed two cavitary lesions in both lungs which raised suspicion of fungal infection; hence, the patient underwent a trans-thoracic biopsy of the cavitary lesion. The direct examination and culture of the biopsy material revealed Aspergillus species. To confirm the Aspergillus species identification, the beta-tubulin region was sequenced. The patient was treated with oral voriconazole. Conclusion: This report underlined the importance of early diagnosis and management of invasive fungal infections in severe COVID-19 patients

Evolution of Cavitary Lesion in a Case of COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Rare Entity

Introduction Toward the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus was identified as the causative organism of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China, spreading rapidly resulting in an epidemic throughout China, followed by a global pandemic. The initial radiological findings of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia at the early stage on a computed tomography (CT) scan include multiple small patchy shadows and interstitial inflammation, predominantly distributed in the peripheral one-third of the lungs. Gradually, it develops into multiple ground glass opacities and infiltrates in the lungs. Furthermore, pulmonary consolidation is observed, but pleural effusion is rare. Objective From time of presentation to complete recovery, CT scans show significant morphological changes in the lesions, but very few literatures have reported cavitary lesion in the lungs. We present the case of a 64-year-old patient with COVID-19 pneumonia who had typical manifestations of the disease on a CT scan along with constantly changing small cavity in the lung. Discussion Delayed cavitation is a rarely described radiological manifestation of COVID-19. Atypical presentations of COVID-19 raise possibility of other infections or additional diagnoses. Bacterial and fungal infection should be excluded, as well as cavity-causing organisms. Although the proper mechanism of cavitation in COVID-19 pneumonia is not known, it may be due to intra- alveolar hemorrhage, diffuse alveolar damage, and necrosis of parenchymal cells based on findings of autopsy reports. Early and late complications associated with COVID-19 are yet to be defined. Conclusion Common causes of cavitary lesions must be investigated properly in all patients. Most cases are self-limited hence managed conservatively. The clinical spectrum of disease due to COVID-19 continues to evolve. Physicians must be aware of evolving radiological findings of COVID-19 and must conduct regular follow-up of convalescent patients with COVID-19 to ensure complete recovery.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CHEST-X-RAY (TIMIKA SCORE) TO PREDICT THE CLINICO-BACTERIOLOGICAL PROFILE OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS

Introduction: Chest x-ray (CXR) is the primary modality for diagnosis and severity assessment and monitoring the ATT response in pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). The aim of our study was to determine the correlation between the radiographic involvement of disease on CXR based on Timika CXR score with the clinically and bacteriological specications at diagnosis and initiation of ATT in sputum smear-positive PTB patients. Material And Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, a tertiary care hospital, Punjab, from January to June 2020. Seventy new sputum smear-positive cases of PTB were included. At the time of diagnosis, the patient's baseline test, clinical signs and symptoms were evaluated using TB scores I, II, Karnofsky performance score (KPS), and body mass index (BMI). Two chest physicians, according to the Timika CXR score, evaluated the CXR of each patient Independently. Result: Cavitary lesion on CXR resulted in a signicantly higher Timika score associated with higher Mycobacterial load in sputum grading compared to non-cavitary disease. 55.17% of patients with CXR score ≥71 had statistically signicant higher baseline sputum grading compared to 9.76% of patients with CXR ≤ 71. Higher Timika CXR score ≥ 71 was signicantly associated with a longer mean duration of symptoms, lower BMI, higher TB score, lower KPS at baseline, higher ESR, low hemoglobin, low serum albumin. Discussion: The study shows that Timika CXR score signicantly correlates with radiographic involvement and extent of disease severity on CXR with the clinically and bacteriological prole of PTB patients, which a pulmonologist can use in a medical practice. A Higher CXR Timika score is associated with the patient's poor clinical condition and the severity of the disease. Cavitary lesion on CXR associated with higher sputum smear grading. It is observed that the Timika CXR score can be used to identify the PTB patients at risk of treatment failure for their more aggressive management.