Aspergillus

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This page is about microbiologic aspects of the organism(s).  For clinical aspects of the disease, see Aspergillosis.
Aspergillus
Conidial head of Aspergillus niger
Conidial head of Aspergillus niger
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Ascomycota
Class: Eurotiomycetes
Order: Eurotiales
Family: Trichocomaceae
Genus: Aspergillus
Species

about 200, including:
Aspergillus caesiellus
Aspergillus candidus
Aspergillus carneus
Aspergillus clavatus
Aspergillus deflectus
Aspergillus flavus
Aspergillus fumigatus
Aspergillus glaucus
Aspergillus nidulans
Aspergillus niger
Aspergillus ochraceus
Aspergillus oryzae
Aspergillus parasiticus
Aspergillus penicilloides
Aspergillus restrictus
Aspergillus sojae
Aspergillus sydowi
Aspergillus tamari
Aspergillus terreus
Aspergillus ustus
Aspergillus versicolor

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Yazan Daaboul, M.D.; Haytham Allaham, M.D. [2]; Serge Korjian M.D.

Overview

Aspergillosis is caused by the fungus Aspergillus, commonly A. fumigatus. Aspergillus is ubiquitous in the environment.

Causes

Aspergillosis is caused by the fungus Aspergillus: Common Aspergillus species involved in human disease include the following:

Taxonomy

Eukaryota; Fungi/Metazoa group; Fungi; Ascomycota; Pezizomycotina; Eurotiomycetes; Eurotiales; Trichocomaceae; mitosporic Trichomaceae

Reservoir

  • Aspergillus is ubiquitous in the environment.
  • Aspergillus can be found in soil, decomposing plant matter, household dust, building materials, plants, food, and water.

Transmission

  • Transmission occurs through inhalation of airborne conidia.
  • Hospital-acquired infections may be sporadic or may be associated with dust exposure during building renovation or construction.
  • Occasional outbreaks of cutaneous infection have been traced to contaminated biomedical devices.

Incubation Period

The incubation period for aspergillosis is unclear and likely varies depending on the dose of Aspergillus and the host immune response.

Associated Diseases

Aspergillus may cause any of the following clinical syndromes depending on the host immune responses:

  • Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis
  • Allergic Aspergillus sinusitis
  • Aspergilloma
  • Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis
  • Invasive aspergillosis
  • Cutaneous aspergillosis


To learn how to distinguish between the Aspergillus clinical syndromes, click here.

Gallery

References

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 "Public Health Image Library (PHIL)".

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