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Medical Health Encyclopedia
Aspergillosis
Definition
Aspergillosis is an infection, growth, or allergic response due to the Aspergillus fungus.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Aspergillosis is caused by a fungus (Aspergillus), which is commonly found growing on dead leaves, stored grain, compost piles, or in other decaying vegetation.
Altghough most people are frequently exposed to aspergillus, infections caused by it are rare in people with a normal immune system. The rare infections caused by aspergillus include pneumonia and fungus ball (aspergilloma).
There are several forms of aspergillosis:
-
Pulmonary aspergillosis - allergic bronchopulmonary type
-- is an allergic reaction to the fungus that usually develops in people who already have lung problems (such as asthma or cystic fibrosis).
-
Aspergilloma
-- is a growth (fungus ball) that develops in an area of previous lung disease or lung scarring (such as tuberculosis
or lung abscess
).
- Pulmonary aspergillosis - invasive type -- is a serious infection with pneumonia that can spread to other parts of the body. This infection occurs almost exclusively in people with weakened immune systems due to cancer, AIDS, leukemia, organ transplantation, chemotherapy, or other conditions or medications that lower the number of normal white blood cells or weaken the immune system.
Review Date: 05/30/2009
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of
General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington
School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Instructor in Medicine,
Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of
Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed
by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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