Invasive Fungal Infections: Epidemiology and Diagnosis (Literature Review)
Fungal infections are highly prevalent in humans and may be manifested from mild superficial skin and nail lesions to life-threatening opportunistic invasive fungal infections. Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are characterized by high morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Among IFIs, candidiasis continues to be the main cause of invasive fungal infections of the bloodstream, while aspergillosis and mucormycosis are more common in hematological patients and recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT), as well as internal organs. Early diagnosis and timely antifungal prophylaxis are key to preventing the development of IFIs. Diagnosis of fungal infections is difficult because clinical and radiological findings are often nonspecific; the sample volume required to provide good assay sensitivity is often insufficient; cultural methods have limited sensitivity and efficiency; the collection of material for histopathological examination can be health- and life-threatening for patients. To improve the quality of diagnosis and therapy of fungal infections, it is necessary to use methods that are characterized by high sensitivity, specificity and do not require long-term study. The number of cases of IFIs is growing, so the emergence of new highly effective diagnostic methods in the early stages of infection can be one of the ways to reduce the incidence and mortality in these types of infections. The purpose of this review is to highlight modern approach and recent advances in the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections .