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Diagnosis and Treatment of Pulmonary Coccidioidomycosis and Paracoccidioidomycosis

Authors :
Paula Massaroni Peçanha-Pietrobom
Andrés Tirado-Sánchez
Sarah Santos Gonçalves
Alexandro Bonifaz
Arnaldo Lopes Colombo
Source :
Journal of Fungi, Vol 9, Iss 2, p 218 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

Coccidioidomycosis (CM) and paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) are systemic mycoses that are highly endemic in Latin America and have recently been included on the World Health Organization (WHO) Fungal Priority Pathogens List. Coccidioides immitis and Coccidioides posadasii are recognized as etiological agents of CM, with peculiarities in their geographic distribution. The genus Paracoccidioides now includes Paracoccidioides lutzii and the Paracoccidioides brasiliensis complex, which encompasses four phylogenetic species. In both diseases, pulmonary signs and symptoms are the main reasons for patients to seek medical assistance, and they are frequently misdiagnosed as tuberculosis. In this paper, we present a critical view of the strategies for diagnosis and clinical management of CM and PCM. Over the past few decades, there has been an increase in the number of reports of endemic fungal infections in areas previously thought to be “non-endemic” due to climate change and increased travel, among other factors. Learning to recognize their main epidemiological aspects and clinical manifestations is crucial so that clinicians can include them in the differential diagnosis of lung disease and avoid late diagnosis.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2309608X
Volume :
9
Issue :
2
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Journal of Fungi
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.3bd406c8106d4219a5c9d360564e2e07
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/jof9020218