Aspergilloma in a hydatid cyst masquerading as pulmonary tuberculosis

Abstract

Aspergilloma is a saprophytic infection that colonizes preexisting lung cavities that presents as a fungal ball. Typically, an aspergilloma develops in cavities formed as a result of diseases such as tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, bronchiectasis, lung abscess, and cavitary neoplasia, but it has also been reported, though rarely, in pulmonary cavities as a consequence of the removal of a hydatid cyst. The clinical features of pulmonary aspergilloma, ruptured hydatid cyst, and tuberculosis are similar in the form of cough, hemoptysis, and low-grade fever. In a developing country like India, wherein pulmonary tuberculosis is the most common cause of a chronic cough with hemoptysis; we present an unusual case of aspergilloma in a ruptured hydatid cyst masquerading as pulmonary tuberculosis.