Clinical and Prognostic Comparisons Between Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis With or Without Invasive Tracheobronchitis During Severe Influenza: a Retrospective Multicenter Cohort Study.

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is a well-known complication in severely immunocompromised hosts patients. Recent evidence has identified others populations at risk for IPA, including those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and advanced cirrhosis patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Moreover, Recently influenza has been identified as a new independent risk factor for IPA and IPA was described as an early complication of influenza. IPA groups different clinical presentations: the classical angio-invasive, the broncho-invasive form and the invasive tracheobronchitis aspergillosis form (ITBA).

ITBA is an infrequent clinical form of IPA with often a fatal outcome, in which Aspergillus infection involves entirely or predominantly the tracheobronchial tree. Early diagnosis of ITBA is based on bronchoscopy examination. Severe influenza is a life-threatening condition where IPA has been repeatedly reported. Little is known on severe influenza infection complicated with IPA and still less with ITBA. Current data on ITBA in critically ill patients hospitalized for severe influenza infection has only been described in single case reports. Because ITBA has been associated with a poorer prognostic than other forms of IPA, this retrospective study aimed to analyze diagnostic and prognostic differences between ITBA and IPA without tracheobronchial lesions, in critically ill patients with influenza infection hospitalized in ICU.

Inclusion criteria

• all ICU (Intensive care unit) patients
• patients aged from 18 years and more
• All patients hospitalized in ICU with a positive influenza RT-PCR extracted from the registry of the local virology department
• patients with a diagnosis of influenza confirmed by a positive influenza real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from nasopharyngeal swab or bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, with a concomitant diagnosis of proven or probable/putative IPA and the performing of a bronchoscopy

Exclusion criteria

• minor or adult with guardianship
• absence of hospitalization in intensive care
• influenza infection not confirmed by PCR