ABSTRACT
Fungi have only emerged as significant pathogens during the past 2 decades. Before the mid-1960s, accounts of fungal infections were mostly limited to sporadic case reports. During the past decade, there has been a dramatic increase in incidence of invasive fungal infections in patients who are not in an end stage of their underlying disease (1,2). Yeasts and molds rank among the 10 most frequently isolated pathogens, and approximately 7% of all febrile episodes can be attributed definitely to these microorganisms (3). Autopsy data show that 5% of patients with solid tumors, 10% to 15% of patients with lymphoma, and up to 20% of all patients with leukemia or those undergoing bone marrow transplantation have histological evidence of invasive fungal infections (1,4). Autopsy studies are of limited value in estimating the true prevalence of fungal infections because many patients who die are not examined and those who survive are also excluded. A reliable assessment is also confounded by empirical administration of intravenous amphotericin B in immunocompromised hosts, because patients may have received successful treatment without the diagnosis ever being confirmed.
