Updates in Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis

Authors

  • Shaonie Ton-Leclerc, MD Department of Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON Author
  • Anne Ellis, MD Department of Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58931/crt.2025.1317

Abstract

Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA) is a complex lung disorder that results from a hypersensitivity reaction to the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus following airway colonization in patients with chronic lung diseases. ABPA predominantly affects patients with asthma and cystic fibrosis, though it can occur in other bronchiectatic conditions. Worldwide, APBA is estimated to impact over four million people.

The pathogenesis of APBA involves both type I and type III hypersensitivity reactions, creating a distinctive inflammatory cascade dominated by T-helper 2 (Th2) lymphocytes and eosinophils. This immune dysregulation leads to recurrent mucoid impaction, progressive bronchiectasis, and, if left untreated, irreversible lung damage. As our understanding of ABPA pathophysiology has evolved, therapeutic approaches have advanced significantly, with biologic therapies offering promising steroid-sparing alternatives for refractory or steroid-dependent diseases.

Author Biographies

  • Shaonie Ton-Leclerc, MD, Department of Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON

    Dr. Ton-Leclerc earned her medical degree at McGill University. She is a current PGY3 Internal Medicine Resident at Queen’s University. Next year, she will be joining the University of Toronto to complete her subspecialty training in Clinical Immunology & Allergy.

  • Anne Ellis, MD, Department of Medicine, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON

    Dr. Ellis is a Professor of Medicine and Chair of the Division of Allergy & Immunology at Queen’s University, where she holds the James H. Day Chair in Allergic Disease and Allergy Research, and the Director of the Environmental Exposure Unit and the Allergy Research Unit at Kingston General Hospital. She is the Immediate Past-President of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and serves on the Joint Task Force for Practice Parameters, representing the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

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Published

2025-12-16

Issue

Volume 1, Issue 3, Fall 2025

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Updates in Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis. (2025). Canadian Respirology Today, 1(3), 12–16. https://doi.org/10.58931/crt.2025.1317