Candida Bronchitis and Mucus Plugging

Although obtaining fungal cultures from bronchoscopy samples rarely changed therapy, the study by Shah et  al1 did not show whether such patients would benefit from antifungal drug treatment. Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines2 state that "[g]rowth of Candida from respiratory secretions usually indicates colonization and rarely requires treatment with antifungal therapy." Following those guidelines, therapy will not be given. In my experience, Candida sometimes causes chronic bronchitis, which improves with antifungal drug therapy,3 and Candida can contribute to mucus plugging and atelectasis.

Source: Mayo Clinic Proceedings - March 31, 2020 Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Douglas C. Johnson Tags: Letter to the editor Source Type: research