Allergic bronchopulmonary candidiasis: Case report and suggested diagnostic criteria

A patient with an illness consistent with allergic bronchopulmonary candidiasis is described. The patient had asthma, atelectatic pulmonary infiltrates on three occasions, immediate cutaneous reactivity as low as 10 −7 (wt/vol) to Candida albicans extract, and precipitating antibody to this organism. C. albicans was the only organism cultured from two bronchial lavage specimens. Total serum IgE was elevated to 5745 ng/ml and decreased rapidly with corticosteroid therapy. Serologic studies were not consistent with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Serum IgE to C. albicans , measured by ELISA after adsorption of IgG from the serum samples by incubation with staphylococcal protein A, was found to be 575% to 650% above control values. The serum IgE antibody activity against Candida decreased with clinical improvement after corticosteroid therapy.