Clinical aspects of the genus aspergillus
Aspergillosis refers to infection with any of the approximately 185 recognized species of the genus Aspergillus, of which only 20 are known to cause human disease. Most human disease is primarily caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus terreus, and Aspergillus nidulans [1]. Aspergillus fumigatus causes approximately 90% of cases of invasive aspergillosis [2], and most pulmonary disease is caused by A. fumigatus, while most isolated sinus disease is caused by A. niger and A. flavus [3]. A review of Aspergillus cultures found that amphotericin B-resistant A. terreus was seen in only 3% of isolates in cases of invasive aspergillosis and found exclusively in cases of invasive disease, and not in patients with colonization [3].
