Fire-eater's pneumonia after aspiration of liquid paraffin

Fire-eater's pneumonia is a distinct type of chemical pneumonitis that results from aspiration of different types of hydrocarbons. This article describes a case of fire-eater's pneumonia due to accidental aspiration of liquid paraffin. The adolescent patient became febrile the day after the accident. The diagnosis of fire-eater's pneumonia was delayed because aspiration history was not divulged by the patient from the beginning. The most prominent chest X-ray finding was multiple pneumatoceles. He responded well to antibiotics and corticosteroids. Two months after the accident, the lesions had almost completely resolved and only minor scarring was evident. Diagnosis of fire-eater's pneumonia can be difficult, especially if key aspects of related history are not divulged by the patient. Corticosteroid therapy was thought to be beneficial in the rapid recovery of the present case together with broad spectrum antibiotics.