Glucose oxidase induced granulomatous lung disease.

ranulomatous diseases of the lung are known to have many etiologies, among which have been the association with numerous organic antigens, usually containing and presumably derived from a wide variety of animal or fungal substances. Their clinical, p&hologic, radiologic, and immunologic features have been the subiect of several recent reviews.'" The various proposed etiologies have been enumerated by Williams.5 Although an exact etiology has not been established, an allergic reaction to some fungus or fungus antigen in the organic material to which these people are exposed has received the most attention. Precipitins to various fungal agents have been demonstrated; often more than one antibody-antigen serum reaction is noted, thus complicating the &ologic picture. We are reporting a patient who worked in close contact with one purified protein extract of the fungus Aspergillus niger, who developed a granulomatous pulmonary disease that in many ways resembles farmer's lung. CASE REPORT