Year: 1997
Type: article
Abstract: The fungus Aspergillus was first described in 1729 by Micheli,' who, in naming the fungus, acknowledged the resemblance of the conidial head of Aspergilhs, with its radiating chains of spores, to an aspergillum, a brush used for sprinkling holy water.The first human case of aspergilloma was described in 1842 by Bennett2 who observed regular "vegetable structures" in tuberculous cavities in a patient who had died from pulmonary tuberculosis.Many early cases were found in patients with tuberculosis, or those with a high occupational risk, such as in pigeon-crammers and wig-combers.Some of these cases were invasive, but most were aspergillomas.The ability of Aspergillus species to cause opportunistic infection in immunocompromised patients was first described by Rankin His report of disseminated aspergillosis and candidiasis in a patient with agranulocytosis in the United Kingdom was published in 1953.However, it was not until 1970, when the clinical and histopathologic features of this disease were described in 98 patients, that the stage was set for any modern concepts of this devastating opportunistic infection.*Since 1970, a number of autopsy studies have been published which indicate that the epidemiology of invasive fungal infections in immunocompromised patients is changing.Twenty years ago autopsy studies found Cundida to be the predominant path0gen.jHowever, studies of autopsy cases from Europe, the United States, and Japan show that the number of patients dying from invasive aspergillosis has increased significantly over the past 20 years.j-'A recent remarkable autopsy study, performed in Germany, of more than 8000 cases showed Aspergillus to have become the leading pathogen, causing up to 60% of fungal infections in the most recent period studied, while the number of cases with invasive candidiasis had declined.8This was a relatively unbiased sample, as the autopsy rate in the institution was 70% and microscopic evidence of fungal infection was
Authors: Paul E. Verweij, David W. Denning
Institutions: North Manchester General Hospital, University of Manchester
Language: English
Subfield: Infectious Diseases
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,900
OpenAlex ID: W2000406381