Aspergillosis

Infections with fungi of the genus Aspergillus.

Uncommon and serious infection with a fungus of the genus Aspergillus, most often occurring in persons weakened by another disease or having impaired immunological responses (e.g., those undergoing chemotherapy, receiving immunosuppressive drugs following a transplant, or having acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)) and characterized by inflammation and lesions of the ear and other organs.

An opportunistic infection of the lungs and sinuses caused by a common environmental mold called Aspergillus. The mold that causes aspergillosis is found in compost heaps and other sites of decaying vegetation, on insulating materials, in air conditioning or heating vents, in hospital rooms and on hospital implements, and in airborne dust. Aspergillosis occurs when the mold’s spores are inhaled or, more rarely, when the spores come in contact with broken skin.

A rare disease in which the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus grows freely in preexisting lesions in the lungs and bronchial tubes. Occasionally the fungus attacks the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose, or urethra or such internal organs as the lungs, liver, and kidneys.

An infection that usually develops in the lungs, skin, or mucous membranes of the eye, nose, or urethra. It is caused by the fungus “Aspergillus” (-1- “osis”, the Greek for “condition”). This fungus, frequently found in remodeling projects, belongs to a class that includes mildews, blue molds, yeasts, and truffles. Aspergillosis especially affects patients with an immunodeficiency, and was found to be the number one cause for mortality in bone marrow patients in a study done by the University of Minnesota.

A disease caused by invasion of the lung by the fungus, Aspergillus fumigatus. The infection is acquired by inhalation of air-borne spores of the fungus, which settle and grow in damaged parts of the lung such as healed tuberculous cavities, abscesses, or the dilated bronchi of bronchiectasis.

Infection caused by the Aspergillus fungus or one of its mold species, of which A. fumigatus is the most common. Colonizing aspergillosis involves growth of the fungus within the body, without tissue invasion. Invasive aspergillosis is an opportunistic infection that affects people with immunodeficiencies; the primary infection is usually pneumonia, but the brain, kidney, and heart valves may also be affected. It is treated with voriconazole, amphotericin B or caspofungin.