Cheese workers' lung.

Several cases of by hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) have been described among cheese workers. Systemic and respiratory symptoms occur several hours after exposure to moldy cheese, serum precipitins against Penicillium species are present and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) analysis shows high-intensity lymphocytic alveolitis. In the study, BAL analysis was used in the follow-up of two patients with clinical evidence of cheese workers' HP. Case I was that of smokers who had work for 16 years in the production and cleaning of cheese, and who had been for complaints of nocturnal fever, dyspnea, and dry cough during the previous three years.