The Journal of infectious diseases
October 6, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid Cellularity Reflects Peripheral Cytopenias and Fungal Burden but Not Short-Term Outcomes in Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis.
Cho SY, Wurster S, Jiang Y, Matsuo T, Evans SE, Sheshadri A, Kontoyiannis DP
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
In hematologic malignancy patients with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, BAL cellularity reflected cytopenias and fungal burden but did not independently predict 42-day mortality.
What was studied
A study of 63 patients with hematologic malignancy and culture-documented invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, relating BALF leukocyte profiles to blood counts, Aspergillus burden, coinfections and outcomes.
Key findings
- BALF cellularity mirrored peripheral cytopenias.
- It rose with higher Aspergillus burden and respiratory coinfections.
- It was not independently associated with 42-day mortality, which was driven by persistent neutropenia and critical illness.
Clinical relevance
BAL cell counts should be interpreted in the context of host immune status rather than used alone for prognosis in these patients.
Who should care
Limitations
The cohort is small, restricted to culture-documented cases, and the abstract gives no effect sizes.
Do not rely on BAL cellularity to predict outcome; neutropenia duration and critical illness remain the key prognostic concerns.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
We characterized leukocyte profiles in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of 63 patients with hematologic malignancy and culture-documented invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and evaluated associations with peripheral blood leukocyte counts, Aspergillus burden, respiratory coinfections, and clinical outcomes. BALF cellularity mirrored peripheral cytopenias yet increased with higher Aspergillus burden and respiratory coinfections, consistent with both systemic immune availability and local inflammatory stimuli. However, BALF cellularity was not independently associated with 42-day mortality, which was driven by persistent neutropenia and critical illness. These findings suggest BALF cellularity may not be an independent determinant of short-term outcomes but rather reflects underlying host and disease context.
DOI
10.1093/infdis/jiag475
PMID
42837162
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
Want more like this?
Browse more from the feed. A free account unlocks the full feed, saving and communities.
Back to the research feed