Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Sublingual Immunotherapy as an Alternative to Induce Protection Against Acute Respiratory Infections
Published on: August 30, 2014
[Post-infectious autobullectomy]
J Vella-Boucaud1, S Chouabe2, F Bourin2
1Service des maladies respiratoires, CHU de Reims, 45, rue Cognacq-Jay, 51092 Reims cedex, France.
Introduction:
Bullous emphysema is defined as an airspace of more than 10mm in diameter. The spontaneous regression or disappearance of a bulla is unusual, described as an "autobullectomy".
Case Report:
We report the case of a 37-year-old man with a 10-pack/year history of smoking, a history of pneumothorax surgically treated in 2005, and emphysema with a bulla in the right upper lobe. In September 2010, the patient was hospitalized for a community-acquired pneumonia associated with an air-fluid level in the bulla. Clinical symptoms improved with a course of antibiotics (levofloxacin, ceftriaxone) for 3 weeks. Chest X-rays showed a progressive decrease in the size of the bulla. In June 2011, a chest CT scan showed complete regression of the bulla in the right upper lobe.
Conclusions:
We report the complete regression of a bulla after infection, leading to an "autobullectomy". It can be hypothesized that the mechanisms might involve fibrosis of the walls and/or the obstruction of the bronchus supplying the bulla.
Related Concept Videos
Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...
Pulmonary Tuberculosis I
Causative Organism
The primary infectious agent causing tuberculosis is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a slow-growing, acid-fast, aerobic rod that exhibits sensitivity to heat and ultraviolet light. Instances of Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium avium contributing to the development of TB infection are rare.
Mode of...
Pulmonary Tuberculosis II
Here is a detailed explanation of its pathophysiology:
Transmission: The process begins when a person inhales droplet nuclei containing M. tuberculosis. These are typically released into the air when an individual with pulmonary or...
Pulmonary Tuberculosis V
Latent tuberculosis infection occurs when TB bacteria are present in a person's body, but are not causing illness or symptoms. It is not contagious, and preventive treatment is crucial to avoid the progression...
Atypical Pneumonia

