OCTOBER 22, 2021

Pulmonary Infections Due to Endemic Fungi: Misdiagnosis Is Often the Norm

By Bob Kronemyer

Cases of pulmonary infections due to endemic fungi in the United States frequently are misdiagnosed, often because they are not considered in the differential. They are relatively rare and can mimic other pulmonary diseases.

Histoplasmosis, for instance, can be mistaken for lung cancer, so some patients get extensive oncology workups instead of antifungal treatment, explained Mitsuru Toda, PhD, an epidemiologist in the Mycotic Diseases Branch at the CDC.

In addition to