Application of microarrays for laboratory detection and identification of medically important fungi

Abstract

Infections caused by fungi have been increasing over the past several decades due to advanced medical treatments as well as the increase in immunocompromised patients. For example, invasive aspergillosis is now a leading cause of infection among patients undergoing treatment for hematological malignancies, solid organ transplantation, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and among patients with AIDS [1-4]. Aspergillus fumigatus remains the most important cause of invasive aspergillosis, followed by A. flavus, A. terreus, A. niger, A. nidulans, and A. versicolor [5]. However, Husain et al. [6] prospectively studied 53 heart and liver transplant recipients and found that invasive infections due to non-Aspergillus fungi were significantly more likely to be associated with central nervous system and disseminated infections than were those due to Aspergillus. The associated mortality rates were 100, 80, 54, and 20 % for zygomycosis, non-Aspergillus hyalohyphomycosis, aspergillosis, and phaeohyphomycosis, respectively. Non-Aspergillus molds causing severe infections in organ transplant recipients include zygomycetes, Fusarium spp., Scedosporium apiospermum, Scedosporium prolificans, and dematiaceous molds [7].