Review Question - QID 216423

A 57-year-old man presents to the emergency department with shortness of breath. Over the past month, he has become more easily winded and has trouble walking up to the second floor of his house. He has also unintentionally lost 5 pounds over the last 3 months. Six months ago, the patient went on a world tour and visited South Africa, India, and Indonesia. The patient does not currently smoke, but he has a history of smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day for 25 years. His temperature is 98.6°F (37°C), blood pressure is 98/70 mmHg, pulse is 95/min, and respirations are 20/min. Decreased breath sounds are heard at the bases of both lungs. A chest radiograph is performed, which shows bilateral pleural effusions. Thoracentesis is performed and the fluid is analyzed, with results shown below:

Pleural fluid protein: 2.1 g/dL (normal: <1.5 g/dL)
Pleural lactate dehydrogenase: 40 U/L (normal: 0 U/L)

Further laboratory evaluation is performed, with relevant findings including:
Serum protein: 7.1 g/dL
Serum lactate dehydrogenase: 217 U/L

Which of the following conditions may have led to this patient’s current presentation?