Systemic Fungal Infection Microbiology

Abstract

Over the last 20 years, the prevalence of systemic fungal infections has skyrocketed. In the past,
systemic infections were known to be caused by pathogenic dimorphic fungus. However, opportunistic
fungi began to cause more infections, particularly in immunocompromised hosts, in the 1960s. More
recently, infections in immunocompromised hosts have been linked to fungal agents that are newer and
less prevalent. Infections with dimorphic fungi, including Histoplasma capsulatum and Penicillium
marneffei, are becoming more common among AIDS patients in India. While P. marneffei is still only
found in the state of Manipur, H. capsulatum is found throughout the nation. While there are reports of
both C. neoformans var. neoformans (serotypes A & D) and C. neoformans var. gattii (serotypes B & C)
in India, serotype A accounts for the majority of cases. Every facility reports a higher prevalence of
cryptococcosis since AIDS first appeared. In nosocomial settings, systemic infections caused by
species of Aspergillus, Candida, and Zygomycetes are common, and outbreaks caused by uncommon
fungi are occasionally documented from tertiary care facilities. The need to establish high-quality
diagnostic mycology laboratories in this nation and identify this growing number of possible fungal
pathogens has been highlighted by the worldwide shift in systemic fungal infections.