Pneumonia due to Respiratory Syncytial Virus Diagnosed by Transtracheal Aspiration in an Adult

Abstract

A healthy-looking 44-year-old female was admitted to our hospital complaining of fever and hemosputum. The chest roentgenogram on admission showed patchy infiltrates of the segment 3 and 8 of the right lung. Laboratory studies showed a leukocyte count of 9700/μ l, erythrocytes sedimentation rate of 55mm/hour and C reactive protein of 8.7 mg/dl. The arterial Po₂ was 71.9 torr while the patient was breasthing room air. Transtracheal aspiration was performed on admission, and stains and culture for bacteria, acid fast bacilli, fungi and mycoplasma were negative. Respiratory syncytial virus was isolated from transtracheal aspirates. The RSV complement fixing antibody titers rose from 1: 40 to 1: 16. She became afebrile on the fourth day after admission and her chest roentgenogram improved gradually.
RSV infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of atypical adult pneumonias.