Aspergillus fumigatus and aspergillosis

Authors
Citation
Jp. Latge, Aspergillus fumigatus and aspergillosis, CLIN MICROB, 12(2), 1999, pp. 310
Citations number
745
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Review
Categorie Soggetti
Microbiology
Journal title
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY REVIEWS
ISSN journal
0893-8512 → ACNP
Volume
12
Issue
2
Year of publication
1999
Database
ISI
SICI code
0893-8512(199904)12:2<310:AFAA>2.0.ZU;2-R
Abstract
Aspergillus fumigatus is one of the most ubiquitous of the airborne saproph ytic fungi. Humans and animals constantly inhale numerous conidia of this f ungus. The conidia are normally eliminated in the immunocompetent host by i nnate immune mechanisms, and aspergilloma and allergic bronchopulmonary asp ergillosis, uncommon clinical syndromes, are the only infections observed i n such hosts. Thus, A. fumigatus was considered for years to be a weak path ogen. With increases in the number of immunosuppressed patients, however; t here has been a dramatic increase in severe and usually fatal invasive aspe rgillosis, now the most common mold infection worldwide. In this review, th e focus is on the biology of A. fumigatus and the diseases it causes. Inclu ded are discussions of (i) genomic and molecular characterization of the or ganism, (ii) clinical and laboratory methods available for the diagnosis of aspergillosis in immunocompetent and immunocompromised hosts, (iii) identi fication of host and fungal factors that play a role in the establishment o f the fungus in vivo, and (iv) problems associated with antifungal therapy.