Fungal infections are a silent epidemic. In contrast to the epidemics caused by RNA viruses such as influenza A and dengue, which are the material of headline news, the epidemic of fungal infections is played out quietly with few in attendance. Fungal infection affects immuno-compromised hosts, patients hospitalized with severe underlying diseases (eg, acute myelogenous leukemia), those requiring complex surgical procedures (eg, trauma patients), and individuals who require support in intensive care units. And this epidemic continues to grow. The causes of this ever-increasing immunocompromised population include congenital and infectious causes of im-munosuppression (e.g., the heretofore uncontrolled AIDS pandemic), the ongoing success of stem cell and solid organ transplantations, the need for chemotherapy and immu-notherapy for the treatment of patients with cancer, and the use of new monoclonal antibody therapy for conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease, as well as a variety of other reasons.
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