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Clinical Syndromes: Aspergillus

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Clinically Relevant Mycoses

Abstract

Invasive Aspergillus infection (IAI) is the second most common invasive fungal infection among patients with hematological malignancies. Systemic infection with Aspergillus spp. is potentially life-threatening for patients suffering from severe diseases.

Persons at risk have severe and prolonged immunosuppression and may suffer from a hematological malignancy (in the first-line patients with acute myeloid leukemia and recipients of allogeneic HSCT). Moreover solid organ transplant recipients and patients treated with corticosteroids for exacerbated COPD or with multiple myeloma are increasingly at risk for IAI. The most important risk factor is particularly severe granulocytopenia (<0.5 G/L), but other risk factors also include AIDS in a progressive stage and also intensive care patients with corticosteroid treatment, lung disease, and renal failure. Additionally, patients who have to take immunosuppressive drugs other than corticosteroids or those suffering from inherited immunodeficiency may develop a severe Aspergillus infection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    Rosa Bellmann-Weiler

  2. Clinical Pharmacokinetics Unit, Division of Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine I, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

    Romuald Bellmann

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  1. Rosa Bellmann-Weiler
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Correspondence to Rosa Bellmann-Weiler .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Medical University of Vienna, Wien, Austria

    Elisabeth Presterl

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Bellmann-Weiler, R., Bellmann, R. (2019). Clinical Syndromes: Aspergillus. In: Presterl, E. (eds) Clinically Relevant Mycoses. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92300-0_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92300-0_5

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