Transient fungemia in acute pulmonary histoplasmosis: detection by new blood-culturing techniques.

Transient fungemia has been thought to occur with acute pulmonary histoplasmosis in humans, but this has never been confirmed. We report two cases of acute pulmonary histoplasmosis in which transient fungemia was detected by the lysis-centrifugation blood-culturing technique. Both patients had self-limited acute pulmonary histoplasmosis, and neither was treated with antifungal therapy. Follow-up evaluation at three years and at 17 months disclosed no evidence of active pulmonary or disseminated disease. Transient Histoplasma capsulatum var. capsulatum fungemia may occur with acute pulmonary histoplasmosis. Fungemia may be prevented or arrested by an intact immune system or by other factors not yet known.