Why is invasive aspergillosis such a difficult disease to diagnose and treat?

Dr Marta Stanzani
Università di Bologna, Italy

Fungi are very resilient – Aspergillus is everywhere, can survive in water but also in desert conditions and grows very quickly. In general, fungi perform a useful function in terms of keeping the world clean, however they are opportunistic and can become a problem when human defence systems break down and fungal infection results.  Human defence systems are sometimes compromised by medical interventions – fungal infections can occur when bacterial infections have been eradicated by antibiotics.

Dr Stanzani explains that fungal cells are very similar to human cells, and that drugs which are toxic to fungals cells may have the same effect on human cells.

Mortality in invasive aspergillosis depends largely on the timing of the intervention, timely diagnosis and the state of the patient’s defences – treatment is much more effective when people have an intact immune system.

Effective intervention depends on knowledge of the condition, high awareness of the possibility of its occurrence, early recognition and early treatment.  Early diagnosis requires continuous and specific screening.

With thanks to Fran Stokes