Histopathologic diagnosis in the era of new and old yeast infections in critical ill surgical patients

Abstract

Several antifungals are currently available for management of invasive fungal infections (IFI), but this exacerbating infectious disease still presents difficulties, especially in the case of opportunistic infection occurring in individuals with seriously impaired defense mechanisms or in multimorbid patients. Patients who undergo complex surgical procedures with or without immunosuppressive therapy are at increased risk for invasive fungal infections. Supplemental procedures for diagnosis, such as indirect monitoring of pathophysiology of the infection, have become a more important and practical way for management of the disease. In this regard, histopathologic and/or cytopathologic examination can also provide insight into the diagnostic significance of some isolates such as have been shown some surgical and medical cases. Finally, the morphologic features of fungi difficult to Identify in infected tissue biopsy is of fundamental importance as it can show distinctive hyphae characteristics. Additional training in mycology was requested by laboratories that examine clinical samples.