[Fire eater's lung (hydrocarbon pneumonitis)]

Hydrocarbon pneumonitis is usually related to accidental poisoning in children. We describe a case of hydrocarbon pneumonitis after petroleum aspiration in an adult fire eater. The main symptoms were cough, dyspnea, chest pain and fever. The patient showed bilateral infiltrates in the middle and lower parts of the lung, hypoxemia and a restrictive ventilatory defect. The evolution was complicated by superinfection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and by pneumatoceles. The acute stage lasted three weeks, and the patient recovered without sequelae within two months. Prophylactic application of antibiotics and corticosteroids cannot be recommended for prevention of hydrocarbon pneumonitis.