Fluid draining overnight from the ear may leave a stain on the pillow. The fungus ball in the lungs may cause no symptoms and be discovered only by a chest x-ray. It may, however, cause repeated coughing up of blood, and rarely severe, even fatal, bleeding. Infection of the deeper tissues makes a person very ill. Symptoms include fever, chills, shock, delirium, and blood clots.
Death can occur quickly.
The symptoms alone provide strong clues for making the diagnosis. If possible, a sample of infected material is taken and sent to a laboratory for culture. It may take a few days for the fungus to grow enough to be identified, but treatment must be started immediately, because this disease can kill quickly. The fungus ball in the lung is usually removed surgically. An antifungal drug, such as amphotericin B, usually is infused intravenously.