ASPERGILLOSIS

ASPERGILLOSIS is a topic covered in the Harrison's Manual of Medicine.

To view the entire topic, please or .

Harrison’s Manual of Medicine 20th edition provides 600+ internal medicine topics in a rapid-access format. Download Harrison’s App to iPhone, iPad, and Android smartphone and tablet. Explore these free sample topics:

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

MICROBIOLOGY AND EPIDEMIOLOGY

Aspergillus, a mold with septate hyphae branching at 45° angles, has vast numbers of conidia (spores). It has a worldwide distribution and typically grows in decomposing plant materials and in bedding. A. fumigatus is responsible for most cases of invasive aspergillosis, almost all cases of chronic aspergillosis, and most allergic syndromes.

  • Inhalation is common; only intense exposures cause disease in healthy, immunocompetent individuals.
  • The primary risk factors for invasive aspergillosis are profound neutropenia, glucocorticoid use, therapy with immune modulators (e.g., TNF-α inhibitors, ibrutinib), severe liver disease, influenza infection, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy.
  • Pts with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis have a wide spectrum of underlying pulmonary diseases (e.g., tuberculosis, sarcoidosis).

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please or --

MICROBIOLOGY AND EPIDEMIOLOGY

Aspergillus, a mold with septate hyphae branching at 45° angles, has vast numbers of conidia (spores). It has a worldwide distribution and typically grows in decomposing plant materials and in bedding. A. fumigatus is responsible for most cases of invasive aspergillosis, almost all cases of chronic aspergillosis, and most allergic syndromes.

  • Inhalation is common; only intense exposures cause disease in healthy, immunocompetent individuals.
  • The primary risk factors for invasive aspergillosis are profound neutropenia, glucocorticoid use, therapy with immune modulators (e.g., TNF-α inhibitors, ibrutinib), severe liver disease, influenza infection, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy.
  • Pts with chronic pulmonary aspergillosis have a wide spectrum of underlying pulmonary diseases (e.g., tuberculosis, sarcoidosis).

There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.