Self-limited blastomycosis: A report of thirteen cases

Blastomycosis is not generally recognized to be a self-limited pulmonary infection. The authors report 13 patients with blastomycosis who followed a self-limited course. Presenting complaints were usually those of an acute pulmonary infection with fever, productive cough, and pleuritic chest pain. The duration of symptoms before diagnosis was usually less than 4 wk (range, 1 wk to 3 months). Chest roentgenograms were variable and not diagnostic. The blastomycin skin test and complement-fixing serologies to blastomycin were generally not helpful. In all patients the diagnosis was made by either cultural or visual identification of the organism from sputum, bronchial washings, or pleural fluid. All patients were improving both clinically and by chest roentgenograms by the time the diagnosis was reached, and thus therapy was withheld. Follow-up of these 13 patients ranged from 5 months to 8 yr (mean, 43 months), and in no instance has there been any evidence of reactivation of the illness.