A Case of Recurrent COVID-19 Pneumonia Following Rituximab Therapy: Treatment Informed by a Serial Transbronchial Lung Cryobiopsy, BALF SARS-CoV-2 PCR, and the Clinical Course
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents with diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in immunocompromised patients, particularly those receiving anti-CD20 antibody therapy. This report describes a patient with recurrent pneumonia following COVID-19 after receiving anti-CD20 antibody therapy. Two transbronchial lung cryobiopsies documented active lung injury in two clinically distinct episodes. Based on an integrated assessment of the histopathological findings, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid SARS-CoV-2 PCR results, and the clinical course, antiviral and corticosteroid therapies were administered, followed by an improvement in the clinical course. This case suggests that cryobiopsy-based histopathology, integrated with the virological findings and clinical course, may provide complementary information for treatment selection in this patient population.
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BibTeX
@article{hayashi2026case,
title = {{A Case of Recurrent COVID-19 Pneumonia Following Rituximab Therapy: Treatment Informed by a Serial Transbronchial Lung Cryobiopsy, BALF SARS-CoV-2 PCR, and the Clinical Course}},
author = {Jun Hayashi and Tatsuya Nagai and Kurumi Seki and Masanori Toho and Yuki Sato and Hiroki Kawakami and Soichiro Yamaji and Hikaru Ito and Ayumu Otsuki and Hiroyuki Ito and Ryosuke Osawa and Junya Fukuoka and Kosei Matsue and Kei Nakashima},
journal = {Internal Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2169/internalmedicine.7725-26},
url = {https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/internalmedicine/advpub/0/advpub_7725-26/_article},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A Case of Recurrent COVID-19 Pneumonia Following Rituximab Therapy: Treatment Informed by a Serial Transbronchial Lung Cryobiopsy, BALF SARS-CoV-2 PCR, and the Clinical Course
AU - Jun Hayashi
AU - Tatsuya Nagai
AU - Kurumi Seki
AU - Masanori Toho
AU - Yuki Sato
AU - Hiroki Kawakami
AU - Soichiro Yamaji
AU - Hikaru Ito
AU - Ayumu Otsuki
AU - Hiroyuki Ito
AU - Ryosuke Osawa
AU - Junya Fukuoka
AU - Kosei Matsue
AU - Kei Nakashima
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - Internal Medicine
DO - 10.2169/internalmedicine.7725-26
UR - https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/internalmedicine/advpub/0/advpub_7725-26/_article
AB - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presents with diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in immunocompromised patients, particularly those receiving anti-CD20 antibody therapy. This report describes a patient with recurrent pneumonia following COVID-19 after receiving anti-CD20 antibody therapy. Two transbronchial lung cryobiopsies documented active lung injury in two clinically distinct episodes. Based on an integrated assessment of the histopathological findings, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid SARS-CoV-2 PCR results, and the clinical course, antiviral and corticosteroid therapies were administered, followed by an improvement in the clinical course. This case suggests that cryobiopsy-based histopathology, integrated with the virological findings and clinical course, may provide complementary information for treatment selection in this patient population.
SN - 1349-7235
SN - 0918-2918
ER -