Pulmonary Infiltration with Eosinophilia

Also known as : PIE - Eosinophillic Lung disease

Introduction

Pulmonary Infiltration with Eosinophilia is a broad term describing an inflammatory lung disease in which the predominant infiltrating cell is the eosinophil. It is thought to be an immune mediated condition where the airway abnormalities are a consequence of a hypersensitivity reaction to an unidentified allergen such as microfilariae of heartworms, lungworms, chronic bacterial or fungal infections (eg, histoplasmosis, aspergillosis), viruses, external antigens, and unknown precipitating factors
Eosinophillic pulmonary granulomatosis is a severe type of PIE seen in dogs and is characterzied by the development of nodules and hilar lymphadenopathy. It is most often associted with a hypersensitivity reaction to microfilarie in heartworm infection.