Aspergillus

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Aspergillus
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Aspergillus

• Aspergillus is a fungus (mould) disorder or an
  infection that is mostly seen in abundance
  throughout the environment in soil, decomposing
  plant material, ornamental plants, water,
  household dust, and building materials.There
  are more than 100 different species of
  aspergillus that have been determined, but the
  species which are most commonly implicated in
  human disease are A fumigatus, A flavus, and A
  niger.

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How does aspergillosis occur?

• Most people tend to breathe in aspergillus
  spores each day, with no ill-effect. Although in
  patients who are having pre-existing medical
  conditions then aspergillus can cause disease,
  basically lung infection. Infection is more
  likely to cause if a large number of spores are
  inhaled, like come in contact to a very dusty
  environment or building renovation.However,
  aspergillus most commonly enters the human body
  by inhalation, on rare occasions the fungus may
  goes into the skin (primary cutaneous
  aspergillosis), specifically in patients who are
  having thermal burns or trauma. Sometimes
  outbreaks of primary cutaneous aspergillosis can
  occur due to contaminated biomedical equipment.

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How is aspergillosis diagnosed?

• Samples of sputum, blood, or affected tissue can
  be cultured in the laboratory to grow
  aspergillus.
• The fungus can be seen under a microscope in
  biopsies of affected tissue. Certain stains for
  fungus can be needed, but other fungi may appear
  nearly identical.
• CT scan of the lungs or Chest x-ray can show
  characteristic abnormalities.
• A newer antigen-based test is available to detect
  evidence of invasive aspergillosis in the blood.
  However, accuracy of this test appears to be
  variable.

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Can aspergillosis be prevented?

• As aspergillosis can be found everywhere
  throughout the environment, it is quite
  impossible to prevent it altogether. In patients
  who are having severely impaired immunity, the
  following measures can be helpful
• Try to avoid dusty environments, construction
  sites, gardening, and lawn mowing.
• Always try to cover your face with protective
  masks when you are near to dusty environments.
• Preventative antifungal medication may be useful.
• Hospitals should use high-efficiency particulate
  air filters (HEPA) to avoid hospital-acquired
  lung infections in patients with poor immunity.

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How is aspergillosis treated?

• Currently voriconazole is used as first-line
  treatment for invasive aspergillosis.
• Other alternatives involve itraconazole,
  amphotericin B, caspofungin, micafungin, and
  posaconazole.
• Prolonged treatment is usually required.
• When possible, immunosuppressive therapy, such as
  corticosteroids, should be discontinued.
• Surgical removal of the infected lung cavity may
  be required for aspergillomas.

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