Infections due to emerging and uncommon medically important fungal pathogens

Abstract

The emergence of less common but medically important fungal pathogens contributes to the rate of morbidity and mortality, especially in the increasingly expanding population of immunocompromised patients. These pathogens include septate filamentous fungi (e.g., Fusarium spp., Scedosporium spp., Trichoderma spp.), nonseptate Zygomycetes, the endemic dimorphic pathogen Penicillium marneffei, and non-Cryptococcus, non-Candida pathogenic yeast (e.g., Trichosporon spp.). The medical community is thus called upon to acquire an understanding of the microbiology, epidemiology and pathogenesis of these previously uncommon pathogens in order to become familiar with the options for prevention and treatment.