ABSTRACT
EPIDEMIOLOGY In general, the incidence of invasive fungal infections is highly correlated with the number of immunosuppressed patients in the population. For instance, a recent prospective surveillance study for candidemia in Iowa showed that the annual incidence ofcandidemia in the state is 6.0 infections per 100,000 of the population [3]. A similar figure has been found in a nationwide study in Iceland where the incidence has increased more than fourfold in the past 20 years [4]. In addition to bloodstream yeast infections, chronic disseminated candidiasis such as hepatosplenic candidiasis is a major problem in patients with prolonged neutropenia. A study from Finland on patients with acute leukemia and hepatosplenic candidiasis during 1980 to 1993 reported a fivefold increase in the incidence of this infection during the study period. Interestingly, the incidence was higher among patients with acute lymphatic leukemia (11.3%) than among those with acute myeloid leukemia (5.1 %) [5].
