Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis masquerading as invasive pulmonary aspergillosis

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is a noninvasive complex hypersensitivity reaction that occurs in immunocompetent patients with asthma. Aspergillus can invade and disseminate, but this more commonly occurs in severely immunocompromised patients receiving high-dose corticosteroids. We report the case of a 13-year-old immunocompetent male patient with moderate persistent asthma who appeared to have invasive pulmonary aspergillosis on radiographic studies. With further evaluation and workup, it was determined that the patient did not have invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, but that he met the diagnostic criteria for ABPA. Although initially there was a deceptive invasive appearance, proper identification of ABPA facilitated selection of corticosteroid treatment that resulted in prompt clearing of the concerning infiltrates.