Infiltrative eosinophilia is a condition characterized by a marked relative and absolute increase in the circulating mature eosinophiles and an inflammatory reaction with a profuse infiltration of this cell. It has been reported in the literature under these various names: Loeffler's syndrome,* tropical eosinophilia,† acute febrile eosinophilic asthma,21 pulmonary eosinophilia,21 pulmonary eosinophiliosis,‡ eosinophilic infiltration of the lungs,§ eosinophilic asthma,40 Weingarten's syndrome,17 pseudotuberculosis of the lungs,∥ benign eosinophilic leukemia,¶ familial eosinophilia,# pulmonary acariasis,* lecithinophil eosinophilia,†grande eosinophilié sanguinaire,68 eosinophile lung,‡ eosinophilia with splenomegaly,§ eosinophilic pneumopaty,∥ and pulmonary infiltration with eosinophilia (P. I. E.).61
Since all the reported cases present many traits in common, differing only in the degree of severity of the symptoms and their duration, it seems convenient to group them under the term infiltrative eosinophilia. Although Loeffler's syndrome implies a short clinical course with transitory roentgenological pulmonary alterations, some of Loeffler's cases showed a tendency to chronicity, and