BRONCHOPULMONARY MONILIASIS

Abstract

Bronchopulmonary moniliasis has been described as an infection of the lungs caused by Monilia albicans and is characterized by a chronic, usually progressive, course possessing a characteristic clinical picture. Microfungi have been universal in distribution, and they are found as parasites or saphrophytes on all forms of growth or decomposition. The varieties of fungi described are numerous, but the majority have been proved to be nonpathogenic. Monilia albicans, a yeastlike fungus, belongs to the imperfecta group of fungi, which appears to be highly pathogenic to man. Monilial infections of most of the organs of the body have been described, and the fungi have been recovered from body secretions and discharges.¹ For some time mycotic diseases of the lung were considered to be quite rare, but recently they have been found to be more prevalent than was generally suspected. Reeves² reported 79 cases of bronchomycosis, of which 40 were