In recent decades, many fungal species have emerged as major causes of human disease. While invasive candidiasis, aspergillosis, and cryptococcosis remain very common, rates of infection by other opportunistic fungal pathogens such as Histoplasma capsulatum, Coccidioides immitis, Fusarium spp. and other yeasts and molds are on the rise. Adding to this bleak picture is the fact that treatment an...

Malignant otitIs externa (skull base osteomyelitis) is predominantly caused by bacteria while fungal etiology is rare. We report a middle aged diabetic gentleman who succumbed to invasive skull base infection due to Apophysomyces elegans a fungus belonging to Zygomycetes which causes only skin and soft tissue infections. Mortality and invasive infections due to this genus is rarely reported, es...

Posaconazole is the newest triazole antifungal agent. It is structurally related to itraconazole and has activity against Candida species, Aspergillus species, Cryptococcus neoformans, the zygomycetes, and other filamentous fungi. Randomized, double-blind trials have shown posaconazole to be at least as efficacious as fluconazole for the prevention of invasive fungal infections in immunocomprom...

Fungal infections following liver transplantation are not uncommon and may be life-threatening. Superficial candidal infections of the bronchus, oesophagus and urinary tract are the most common mode of presentation. Invasive cutaneous and subcutaneous candidiasis is, however, very rare. We report two patients with invasive cutaneous and subcutaneous candidiasis after orthotopic liver transplant...

The pathogenic role of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) has increased during the past two decades in Latin America and worldwide, and the number of patients at risk has risen dramatically. Working habits and leisure activities have also been a focus of attention by public health officials, as endemic mycoses have provoked a number of outbreaks. An extensive search of medical literature from La...

The prolonged immune deficiency resulting from haematopoietic stem cell transplant and chemotherapy predisposes to a high risk of invasive fungal infections. Despite the recent advances in molecular diagnostic testing, early initiation of pre-emptive antifungal therapy and the use of combination pharmacotherapy, mortality from invasive mould infections remain high among recipients of allogeneic...

Invasive fungal infections have become a major cause of mortality in immunocompromised individuals. Despite the current availability of number of highly active antifungal agents, overall mortality remains around 40%. Importantly, it is clear that a failure to restore host immunity leads to worse outcomes. These observations provide clear rationale for the development of novel immunotherapies to...

chronic granulomatous disease is an inherited defect in intracellular killing of ingested microorganisms characterized by recurrent life threatening bacterial and fungal infections including invasive aspergillosis in early childhood. we report  a  disseminated aspergillosis as  the  representative  of  adult  onset  chronic granulomatous disease without previous infection, with dramatic respons...

Medically important fungal infections can be broadly classified into superficial surface infections and invasive mycoses (Samaranayake and MacFarlane, 1990; Roemer and Krysan, 2014). Superficial surface infections include mucosal candidiasis, dermatophyte infections whereas invasive mycoses affect sterile body sites such as bloodstream, central nervous system, kidney, lungs, and liver. Rise of ...

Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of appropriate antimicrobial therapy are crucial steps in the management of patients with invasive fungal infections. However, the diagnosis of invasive mycoses remains a major challenge in clinical practice, because presenting symptoms may be subtle and non-invasive diagnostic assays often lack sensitivity and specificity. Diagnosis is often expressed on a...