Diagnostic Dilemma in a Case of Necrotizing Pneumonia With Negative Transbronchial Biopsy

A 33-year-old male with a past medical history of asthma presented to the Emergency room with a three-day history of right-sided chest pain, productive cough with dark brown sputum, and shortness of breath. He was found to have right lower lobe consolidation consistent with acute pneumonia, and areas of non-homogenous density within the consolidation, suspicious of necrotizing pneumonia. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest with IV contrast revealed a large, irregular thick-walled cavitary mass involving the right middle lobe with surrounding ground glass cavitation. An extensive workup was negative, including a transbronchial biopsy. The case explains how a causative organism was detected.