Epidemiology, Clinical, and Therapeutic Aspects of Paracoccidioidomycosis

Abstract

Paracoccidioidomycosis, or PCM, was described by Adolfo Lutz 105 years ago. Since then the disease has taken a prominent position among the systemic fungal infections because it mainly affects individuals in the most productive years of their lives in various countries of Latin America. In Brazil, the disease is considered endemic in some regions. However, it is still a neglected disease. With the recent discovery that Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is not the only species of this genus, numerous studies have contributed to better understanding and recognition of this pathogen and its pathology in many aspects, such as the epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic aspects.