ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION In recent years, there has been an increase in the incidence of opportunistic fungal infections. This has been directly related to advances in modern medical technology including the use of broadspectrum antibiotics, immunosuppressant drugs for organ and bone marrow transplantation, cytotoxic chemotherapy for cancer, corticosteroids, and the increased use of indwelling medical devices. Besides the commensal organisms Candida albicans and Malassezia furfur, the majority of the opportunistic mycoses are caused by exogenous fungi that exist in nature as free-living saprophytes or plant parasites (1). Historically, these fungi have been treated as contaminates when isolated from clinical specimens, however, a significant number of these saprophytic molds have become opportunistic pathogens in the immunocompromised host (2).
