Disseminated histoplasmosis is a major cause of mortality in HIV-infected patients. Rapid and efficient diagnosis of Histoplasma capsulatum is crucial. Cytopathology is available in most hospitals and represents a rapid diagnostic alternative. In this study, we reviewed 12 years of experience to describe the cytology of histoplasmosis diagnosed by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in relation to patient characteristics. BAL-diagnosed pulmonary histoplasmosis concerned 17 patients (14 HIV+). BAL cellularity ranged from 76,000 to 125,000 cells/mL in HIV patients, and 117,000 to 160,000 cells/mL in non-HIV patients. Macrophages predominated in all HIV patients (from 60% to 88%), lymphocytic infiltrates ranged from 5% to 15%, and neutrophils were very heterogeneous (from 2% to 32%). The number of H. capsulatum at hot spots seemed greater in HIV-infected than in immunocompetent patients (9 to 375 vs. 4 to 10) and were inversely proportional to the CD4 counts. Yeasts were both intracellular and extracellular in 85.7% of the HIV patients. This is the most comprehensive series detailing the cytological aspects of BAL in the diagnosis of H. capsulatum, focusing on the number of yeasts and their clustering pattern. The cytological examination of the Gomori-Grocott-stained BAL allows a reliable diagnosis of histoplasmosis.

Tuberculosis is a treatable and curable bacterial disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that most often affects the lung. Since 2018, it has become the leading cause of death from infectious diseases. Tuberculosis is a public health problem in French Guiana. The majority of reported cases are diagnosed among people coming from neighboring Latin American countries. Since March 2020, French Guiana has been affected, like the rest of the world, by the new infectious disease COVID19 linked to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. We here report a case of COVID19 and pulmonary tuberculosis coinfection. COVID19 pneumonia was the mode of discovery of the tuberculosis. In the present case, the tuberculosis appeared as parenchymal and endobronchial pseudotumoral lesion, which has been complicated by a bronchoesophageal fistula. The evolution of the parenchymal, endobronchial lesion and bronchoesophageal fistula was favorable after two months of anti-tuberculosis treatment.

Certain patients who recover from severe pneumonia due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remain symptomatic in the post-infectious period, either clinically, radiologically, or respiratory. The post-COVID-19 period is characterized by clinical symptoms of varying duration from one subject to another and does not seem to depend on the severity of initial pneumonia. The persisting inflammatory and/or immune reactions in the post-COVID-19 period may play a role in the development of pulmonary lesions. Here, we report the case of a 61-year-old man with severe COVID-19 pneumonia, complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome and pulmonary embolism, which required the patient's admission to the intensive care unit and high-flow oxygen therapy. The patient was hospitalized for 23 days for the management of his severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Afterwards, he was discharged home following a negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR test. The post-COVID-19 period was characterized by a complex respiratory symptomatology associating cough, resting dyspnea, and exertional dyspnea requiring oxygen therapy for several weeks. Surprisingly, the follow-up chest CT scan performed 4 weeks after discharge revealed bilateral interstitial lung lesions. After ruling out pulmonary superinfection, the patient was treated with oral corticosteroid for 3 months at a digressive dose. In our case, the use of corticosteroid therapy in the post-COVID19 phase had improved the outcome of the lung disease. These benefits are characterized by a rapid symptomatic improvement, accelerated repair of pulmonary images, rapid oxygen withdrawal, and rapid return to daily activities.

(1) Background: Only a few studies on histoplasmosis in immunocompetent patients have been reported in French Guiana. Therefore, we conducted a detailed clinical description of hospitalized patients suffering with histoplasmosis among non-HIV patients. (2) Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective study conducted at Cayenne Hospital Center between 2008 and 2022. (3) Results: Our cohort was composed of 31 (91%) adults (>18 years of age) and 3 (9%) children, with a sex ratio, M:F, of 1:2. The median age was higher among the women than among the men (70 versus 54 years). The collection of respiratory samples constituted the majority of the performed examinations (38%). Fever (>37 °C) was found in 56% of patients. Surprisingly, the histoplasmosis was disseminated in 82% of patients with an overall case fatality rate of 14.7%. However, immunosuppressive conditions were found in 52% (16/31) of the adult patients, including lymphoid hemopathies, diabetes and immunosuppressive drugs. Conclusions: This disease, though rare and usually considered a mostly benign disease in non-HIV patients, presented a relatively high mortality rate in our cohort. Thus, histoplasmosis should be suspected, screened and investigated as a first line of defense in highly endemic areas, even in immunocompetent and non-HIV patients, especially those with fever or chronic respiratory symptoms.

Anti-MDA5 antibodies-associated amyopathic dermatomyositisis a rare autoimmune disease that involve polyarthritis, cutaneous and pulmonary manifestations. The development of rapidly progressing interstitial lung disease is a life-threatening complication. We report the case of a 45-year-old woman without medical history, who was addressed to the Pulmonary Department for a polyarthritis with dry cough and hypoxemic dyspnea. Initially there was neither cutaneous manifestation nor interstitial lung disease on chest CT scan. After a few days, the patient developed fatal acute respiratory failure with diffuse ground glass opacities. Identification of anti-MDA5 antibodies allowed establishing diagnosis, despite the fact that the first immunological assessment was negative. Corticosteroid bolus of 1 g for three days and immunosuppressive treatment by cyclophosphamide was only initiated at the acute respiratory distress syndrome stage. Given the rapidly unfavorable prognosis of this entity of amyopathic dermatomyositis, the testing for anti-MDA5 antibodies should be recommended in case of progressive pulmonary symptoms associated with joint signs in order to identify this disease at an early stage and to begin rapid and adequate management.

The hostile conditions at informal and illegal mining sites in the Amazonian forest erode the miner’s health, exposing workers to a broad range of diseases because most of the gold is extracted using mercury (Hg). The Hg vapor used daily at gold panning sites presents an environmental threat to the ecosystems and human health. We report the case of a 58-year-old man who has worked in gold panning for over 30 years, presented with diffuse interstitial pneumonia characterized by bilateral images of ground glass and mosaic opacities on the chest CT scan. Based on the negative differential diagnosis (cardiovascular, infectious, autoimmune or cancer), the context of chronic exposure to Hg in a patient who has been working for decades on illegal gold panning sites, we concluded to a chronic form of heavy metal hypersensitivity pneumonia. This hypothesis was supported by high levels of mercury in blood and urine. Mercury hypersensitivity pneumonia might be more frequent than presently thought with thousands of workers chronically exposed to high mercury concentrations among others pollutants. Medical practitioners should systematically seek for chronic respiratory illnesses associated with pollutants exposure in these vulnerable workers with poor health.