[Histopathological diagnosis of mycoses]

Abstract

Infectious diseases emerge as a cause of pathology in our patients. Among the possible etiologies, mycoses have shown a considerable increase in the two last decades. In general, the clinical features of fungal diseases are not very distinctive. The morphology and the clinical aspects of the fungi serve as a protocol for their correct identification. Clinicians, microbiologists and pathologists are essential for the diagnosis. The pathologist using a simple and fast methodology can diagnose some types of mycosis, but they do not only identify the causal agent, but also the kind of injury that produces, the inflammatory response and the affected organ or organs. Moreover, they can classify the mycosis as superficial, cutaneous, subcutaneous, deep and systemic depending on the location. The present review paper describes study guidelines for the pathologist faced with a fungal infection and new technical advances that are established in pathology laboratories for a more precise identification of the mycoses.