ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among patients with hematologic malignancies, particularly in those affected by acute leukemia (1) and hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) (2-6). Advances in the HSCT area have led to a prominent increase of IFI incidence due to factors such as (i) the use of potent immunosuppressives as prophylaxis and treatment for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), (ii) increasing reliance of alternative donors such as human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched or mismatched unrelated donors, (iii) more umbilical cord blood unit transplantation procedures, (iv) performing multiple transplantation procedures, and (v) more frequent preventative measures against infections caused by highly virulent bacteria, Candida spp., or cytomegalovirus (5).
