Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in a soy sauce brewer caused byAspergillus oryzae

In Japan the traditional diet includes soy sauce (shoyu) and bean paste (miso). The protease produced by Aspergillus oryzae has been used for many years to ferment soybeans into amino acids. Some cases of bronchial asthma (BA) and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) have been reported as an occupational allergic disease among brewers exposed to A. oryzae by sprinkling A. oryzae on boiled soybeans.im3 However, hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) has not been reported in brewers until now. We present the first case of HP caused by A. otyzae.