[Alveolar proteinosis or the importance of identifying concurrent infections].

To the Editor: Alveolar proteinosis (AP) is a rare disease which affects the lungs diffusely and is characterized by the deposition of protein-like material rich in phospholipids. This material is characteristically PAS positive and does not cause interstitial alveolar inflammation; thus the degree of fibrosis minimal. Signs and symptoms are nonspecific and patients are generally asymptomatic before complications occur. The main complication in AP is concurrent infection with unusual germs like Aspergillus sp., Nocardia sp., Mycobacterium sp., Cryptococcus neoformans, Histoplasma capsulatum, Pneumocystis carinii and certain viruses. We report the case of a woman diagnosed with AP after being infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis.