Detection of the 'Big Five' mold killers of humans: Aspergillus, Fusarium, Lomentospora, Scedosporium and Mucormycetes.

Detection of the 'Big Five' mold killers of humans: Aspergillus, Fusarium, Lomentospora, Scedosporium and Mucormycetes. Adv Appl Microbiol. 2020;110:1-61 Authors: Thornton CR Abstract Fungi are an important but frequently overlooked cause of morbidity and mortality in humans. Life-threatening fungal infections mainly occur in immunocompromised patients, and are typically caused by environmental opportunists that take advantage of a weakened immune system. The filamentous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus is the most important and well-documented mold pathogen of humans, causing a number of complex respiratory diseases, including invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, an often fatal disease in patients with acute leukemia or in immunosuppressed bone marrow or solid organ transplant recipients. However, non-Aspergillus molds are increasingly reported as agents of disseminated diseases, with Fusarium, Scedosporium, Lomentospora and mucormycete species now firmly established as pathogens of immunosuppressed and immunocompetent individuals. Despite well-documented risk factors for invasive fungal diseases, and increased awareness of the risk factors for life-threatening infections, the number of deaths attributable to molds is likely to be severely underestimated driven, to a large extent, by the lack of readily accessible, cheap, and accurate tests that allow detection and differentiation of infecting species. Early diagnosis is critical to patien...
Source: Advances in Applied Microbiology - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Adv Appl Microbiol Source Type: research