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Aspergillosis Causes and Risks:
Aspergillosis is caused by a fungus (aspergillus), which is found commonly growing on dead leaves, stored grain, compost piles, or other decaying vegetation. It causes illness in three ways: as an allergic reaction in people with asthma ( Pulmonary aspergillosis; allergic bronchopulmonary type ); as a colonization in an old healed lung cavity from previous disease such as tuberculosis or lung abscess where it produces a fungus ball called aspergilloma ; and as an invasive infection with pneumonia that is spread to other parts of the body by the blood stream ( Pulmonary aspergillosis; invasive type ). The invasive infection can affect the eye, causing blindness , and any other organ of the body, but especially the heart, lungs, brain, and kidneys. The third form occurs almost exclusively in people whose immune systems are suppressed from high doses of cortisone drugs, chemotherapy , or a disease that reduces the number of normal white blood cells. Those at risk are immunosuppressed people such as organ transplant recipients, and people with cancer , AIDS , or leukemia .
Prevention:
Be cautious in the use of drugs that suppress the immune system. Prevention of AIDS prevents opportunistic diseases, including aspergillosis, that are associated with a damaged or incompetent immune system.
Symptoms:
Symptoms of aspergillosis: Symptoms of invasive infection:
Signs and Tests:
Treatment:
The goal of treatment is to control symptomatic infection.
A fungus ball usually does not require treatment unless bleeding into the lung tissue is associated with the infection, then surgical excision is required.
Invasive aspergillosis is treated with a 2 to 3 week course of intravenous amphotericin B, an antifungal medication.
Antifungal medications that are considered effective against aspergillosis: - amphotericin B
- itraconazol
Endocarditis cause by aspergillus is treated by surgical removal of the infected heart valves and long term amphotericin B therapy.
Allergic aspergillosis is treated with oral prednisone. Some people may benefit from allergy desensitization. Antifungal agents do not help people with allergic aspergillosis.
Prognosis:
Gradual improvement is seen in patients with allergic aspergillosis. Invasive aspergillosis may resist drug treatment and progress to death. The underlying disease in a person with invasive aspergillosis may also affect the overall prognosis (probable outcome).
Complications:
Amphotericin B can cause kidney impairment.
Call Your Healthcare Provider:
Call the health care provider if urine output becomes decreased while receiving antifungal medication, or if fever , chills, headache or worsening symptoms develop.
Aspergillosis is a fungal infection that invades and destroys tissue. This type of infection usually occurs in diabetic or immunocompromised individuals. In this case, the infection is on the thumb.
Aspergillosis is a fungal infection. The fungus invades and destroys tissue. This type of infection usually occurs in immunocompromised individuals. Here, a chest X-ray shows that the fungus has invaded the lung tissue (the lungs are usually seen as black areas on an X-ray; the cloudiness on the left side of this X-ray is caused by the fungus).
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