Acute eosinophilic pneumonia caused by composter vapor inhalation: A case report

Respir Investig. 2022 Nov;60(6):857-860. doi: 10.1016/j.resinv.2022.08.003. Epub 2022 Sep 22.

Abstract

A 65-year-old woman presented to a local hospital with a 4-day history of cough, fever, and dyspnea. She had started using a composter and had been exposed to the vapor for 18 days before her first visit. She was diagnosed with acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) based on her symptoms, the presence of bilateral pulmonary opacities on computed tomography, and alveolar eosinophilia confirmed by bronchoalveolar lavage. Inhalation of the composter vapor was thought to be the cause of AEP. Aspergillus fumigatus was cultured from the composter soil and the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. She fully recovered without systemic corticosteroid administration by avoiding the composter.

Keywords: Acute eosinophilic pneumonia; Aspergillus fumigatus; Composter; Fractional exhaled nitric oxide.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Administration, Inhalation
  • Aged
  • Bronchoalveolar Lavage
  • Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid
  • Female
  • Gases
  • Humans
  • Pulmonary Eosinophilia* / chemically induced
  • Pulmonary Eosinophilia* / diagnostic imaging

Substances

  • Gases