Successful Treatment with Benralizumab for Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis That Developed after Disastrous Heavy Rainfall in Western Japan

Intern Med. 2021 May 1;60(9):1443-1450. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.6217-20. Epub 2020 Nov 16.

Abstract

We herein report a 56-year-old woman who developed allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) possibly due to fungal exposure after disastrous heavy rainfall in Western Japan in 2018. She was diagnosed with ABPA complicated with asthma, increased peripheral blood eosinophil count, elevation of specific immunoglobulin E for Aspergillus fumigatus, positive Aspergillus fumigatus precipitation antibody reaction test results, and notable chest computed tomography findings. After treatment with benralizumab, her symptoms, peripheral blood eosinophil count, radiological findings, and respiratory function dramatically improved. The administration of benralizumab appears to be an effective treatment strategy for ABPA.

Keywords: Aspergillus fumigatus; allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis; benralizumab; bronchial asthma; heavy rainfall.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Aspergillosis, Allergic Bronchopulmonary* / drug therapy
  • Aspergillus fumigatus
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Japan
  • Middle Aged

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • benralizumab