aspirated materials contain gastric acid, there is chemical injury to the lung parenchyma with infection as a secondary event usually 48 to 72 hours later. The infecting organism is usually one of the normal oropharyngeal flora. The clinical manifestations proceed as those of a classic pneunococcal or streptococcal pneumonia. Fungi may also be a cause of pneumonia. These infections are not transmitted from person to person, and the patient does not have to be placed in isolation. The clinical manifestations are similar to those of bacterial pneumonia. Skin and serology tests are available to assist in identifying the infecting organism. However, identification of the organism In a sputum specimen or in other body fluids is the best diagnostic indicator. (Lewis, S.M. & Collier, p. 643-644)ASPERGILLOSIS INFECTIONS : There are several forms of Aspergillosis infections. All are caused by one or more of the many different Aspergillus fungus species; only a few of these organisms are capable of producing disease in humans. These species are spread through the air and can be found almost any place in the world. Because these spores are inhaled, they usually affect the lungs or other airway passages such as the bronchial tubes, nose and sinuses. The fungi can be invasive, affecting any tissue, mucous membrane or vital organ of the body.Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA) is an immune disorder that occurs in people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) infected with Aspergillosis fungi. It causes an excess of certain white blood cells (eosinophils), an infiltration of the lungs, and impaction of the bronchial tubes with eosinophils and Aspergillus organisms. Symptoms of this disease may consist of fever, shortness of breath (dyspnea), chest pain, wheezing, a cough with sputum (with or without blood) or a generalized feeling of ill-health (malaise). This form of Aspergillosis is not usually invasive, b...
