Objective: To determine the relative frequency of Blastomyces dermatitidis among other microorganisms in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) specimens.
Study design: The study group consisted of 208 BAL specimens received from 192 patients from March 1988 to August 1993.
Results: Forty-seven specimens from 42 patients were positive for pathogenic microorganisms, and 2 other specimens were diagnostic of malignancy. Pneumocystis carinii (23 specimens) was the most common microorganism found in the specimens. Candida spp (10 specimens) was the second most common microorganism, and B dermatitidis (5 specimens) was the third. Cryptococcus neoformans (3 patients), Histoplasma capsulatum (2 patients) and Conidiobolus coronatus (1 patient) were the other fungi detected in BAL. Acid-fast bacilli, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus were also found (1 patient each). Several patients had more than one organism.
Conclusion: B dermatitidis was the third most common microorganism found in BAL specimens at our hospital.