Corticosteroids in the Management of Severe Coccidioidomycosis

Background

There is limited data suggesting that recovery from severe pulmonary infection with Coccidioides may be hastened by the addition of systemic corticosteroids.

Methods

We present a case report of 2 patients with persistent and progressive coccidioidomycosis who demonstrated a dramatic response to adjunctive corticosteroid therapy.

Results

Both patients had Coccidioides immitis cultured from respiratory samples. One was a 69-year-old man who had been treated with combination fluconazole and liposomal amphotericin for over 6 weeks, with persistent fever and pneumonia. The other was a 61-year-old man treated with fluconazole and then amphotericin for 3 weeks, with progression to acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock. Both received short courses of intravenous methylprednisolone and recovered to be discharged home.

Conclusions

As opposed to associated hypersensitivity, corticosteroid treatment in these cases was directed at modulating the ongoing destructive effects of unchecked inflammation. Rapid improvement was noted in both cases and raises the possibility that the addition of systemic corticosteroids may hasten recovery in patients with severe coccidioidomycosis.