Aspergillus: the invisible threat.
Author:
Kibbler C
Date: 20 January 2004
Abstract:
The reason why these deaths fail to make the headlines is probably because the individuals concerned were struck down without warning but already had an immunosuppressive disease. Many of these patients had undergone curative therapy for, or were in remission from, life-threatening conditions such as acute leukaemia or organ failure, only to die from invasive aspergillosis.The reason why these deaths fail to make the headlines is probably because the individuals concerned were struck down without warning but already had an immunosuppressive disease. Many of these patients had undergone curative therapy for, or were in remission from, life-threatening conditions such as acute leukaemia or organ failure, only to die from invasive aspergillosis. If this infection could be prevented and patient outcomes improved, health care professionals could have a significant impact on the overall outcome for patients, particularly those with haematological malignancy and those undergoing organ transplantation. Where does Aspergillus species come from?Aspergillus species are soil moulds, but are capable of living just about anywhere in the environment where there is a little moisture and basic substrate on which to base their saprophytic existence. Outdoors they are associated with rotting vegetation, such as that present in compost heaps, damp grain and other agricultural settings. In buildings they are found in damp wallpaper and plaster, fireproofing, pipe lagging and air-conditioning systems (Manuel and Kibbler, 1998). As a result, most of the air that we breathe contains conidia (spores) or hyphal fragments (filament-like structure) of the fungus, although the concentration varies considerably. For example, one survey found that 74 per cent of homes in Scotland had significant levels of airborne Aspergillus species compared with 9-29 per cent of homes examined in a US study (Pieckovà¡ and Jesenskà¡, 1999).
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