Aspergillosis
Definition
Aspergillosis is an infection, growth, or allergic response caused by the Aspergillus fungus.
Causes
Aspergillosis is caused by a fungus (Aspergillus), which is commonly found growing on dead leaves, stored grain, compost piles, or in other decaying vegetation.
There are several forms of aspergillosis:
- Pulmonary aspergillosis - allergic bronchopulmonary type is an allergic reaction to the fungus that develops in with asthma.
- Aspergilloma is a growth (fungus ball) that develops in an area of previous lung disease such as tuberculosis or lung abscess
- Pulmonary aspergillosis - invasive type is a serious infection with pneumonia that spreads to other parts of the body. This infection occurs almost exclusively in people with weakened immune systems due to cancer, AIDS, leukemia, organ transplantation, chemotherapy, or other conditions or events that reduce the number of normal white blood cells.
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