Cytologic diagnosis of measles pneumonia in a bronchoalveolar lavage specimen. A case report.

An immunocompromised employee of our medical center contracted measles during an epidemic and subsequently died of giant cell pneumonia. In this report we discuss the cytologic diagnosis of measles pneumonia and the differential diagnosis of multinucleate giant cells in lung cytology specimens. In the appropriate clinical setting, inclusion-bearing syncytial epithelial giant cells in lung are virtually pathognomonic of measles infection. Cytologic specimens can provide an important early diagnosis.