Endobronchial Infection and Bacterial Lymphadenitis by Gemella morbillorum Leading to Airway Perforation and a Bronchopleural Fistula

Necrotizing bronchial infection with severe infectious lymphadenitis is infrequently encountered and most commonly ascribed to , , and species. We present a unique cause of severe airway destruction with lymphadenitis and bronchopleural fistula formation by the bacterium . A 24-year-old man presented with acute symptoms of vomiting, fever, and shoulder pain. A CT of the chest demonstrated a large subcarinal mass encasing the central bronchi. The workup for malignant, fungal, and granulomatous etiologies was unrevealing, while blood cultures identified . Fiberoptic bronchoscopy revealed a perforation of the right middle lobar bronchus and the formation of a bronchopleural fistula, resulting in a large hydropneumothorax with empyema. Despite antibiotic therapy, surgical intervention to repair the fistula, and ventilatory support, the progression of the bronchopleural fistula led to fatal respiratory failure. In cases of severe mediastinal adenopathy in a young patient, bacterial lymphadenitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis with lymphoma, germ cell tumor, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, sarcoidosis, histoplasmosis, and inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor.