Invasive aspergillosis in the intensive care unit

Abstract

Aspergillus species are ubiquitous soil inhabitants; if the conidia are inhaled into the respiratory tract, they can cause life-threatening disease. Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in severely immunocompromised patients. The bulk of literature about IA involves patients with classic risk factors for IA, such as prolonged neutropenia and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. However, a broad group of patients who are admitted to intensive care units may also be susceptible to these infections.