ABSTRACT
The incidence of invasive mold infections has increased substantially. These infections are considered opportunistic because they occur almost exclusively in immunocompromised individuals. Indeed, the increased incidence of invasive mold infections paralleled the increase in the population of immunosuppressed individuals, including patients with hematological malignancies, transplant recipients, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients, and those receiving broad-spectrum antibiotics or high-dose corticosteroids. Among the invasive mold infections, Aspergillus spp. are the most frequent agents, accounting for 75% of mold infections in patients with hematological malignancies and almost 85% in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. Aspergillus species are widely distributed in nature and they cause a broad spectrum of diseases, including mycotoxicosis, allergic pulmonary disease, superficial and cutaneous infections, intracavitary colonization, and invasive disease. Invasive aspergillosis usually occurs after the inhalation of conidia contained in the air. Rare cases of direct inoculation into the skin, operative wounds, cornea, and ear have been reported.
