Emerging Fungal Infections in Immunocompromised Patients
Summary
Emerging fungal pathogens are increasingly recognised as critical threats to individuals with impaired immunity, including those undergoing chemotherapy, organ or stem cell transplantation, or living with advanced HIV infection. These opportunistic infections often present as invasive mycoses affecting the lungs, bloodstream or deep tissues, and are driven by a widening spectrum of filamentous and yeast-like species. Advances in molecular diagnostics have revealed novel species complexes and geographic hotspots, while the growing incidence of antifungal resistance demands tailored susceptibility testing. Understanding the interplay between host immune deficits, environmental exposure and pathogen virulence is essential to guide timely diagnosis, optimise antifungal therapy and inform prophylactic strategies. Globally, the burden of these infections underscores an urgent need for integrated surveillance, standardised laboratory methods and multidisciplinary care pathways to reduce morbidity and mortality in high-risk populations.
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Emerging Fungal Infections in Immunocompromised Patients publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in emerging fungal infections in immunocompromised patients across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Opportunistic pathogen: A microorganism that causes disease primarily when the host’s immune defences are impaired.
Invasive mycosis: A severe fungal infection in which the pathogen penetrates beyond superficial tissues into internal organs or the bloodstream.
Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC): The lowest concentration of an antifungal agent that prevents visible growth of a particular fungal isolate in vitro.
Internal transcribed spacer (ITS): A highly variable region of fungal ribosomal DNA used as a molecular barcode for species identification.
MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry: A rapid proteomic technique for microbial species identification based on the mass-to-charge ratio of ionised proteins.
References
- First Confirmed Description of Acremonium egyptiacum from Greece and Molecular Identification of Acremonium and Acremonium-like Clinical Isolates. Journal of Fungi (2024).
- Clinical Aureobasidium Isolates Are More Fungicide Sensitive than Many Agricultural Isolates. Microbiology Spectrum (2023).
- Species Identification and In Vitro Antifungal Susceptibility of Paecilomyces/Purpureocillium Species Isolated from Clinical Respiratory Samples: A Multicenter Study. Journal of Fungi (2022).
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