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Semin Respir Crit Care Med 2024; 45(01): 041-049
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1776757
Review Article

Pathological Diagnosis of Pulmonary Aspergillosis

Henrik E. Jensen
1   Section for Pathobiological Sciences, Division of Pathology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
,
Cecilie B. Becker
1   Section for Pathobiological Sciences, Division of Pathology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Abstract

Pulmonary aspergillosis constitutes an increasingly prevalent and potentially fatal complex of mycotic diseases, caused by different species of Aspergillus. The broad spectrum of pathological manifestations associated with pulmonary aspergillosis necessitates a differentiation of commensalism from saprophytic colonization, hypersensitivity reactions, and true invasive infections, which highlights the importance of histopathology as a gold standard in a diagnostic setting. For the past decades, changes in terminology and contradicting contributions from different diagnostic disciplines have made the classification of pulmonary aspergillosis rather confusing. This review offers a categorization of aspergillosis lesions based on what can be histopathologically identified and distinguished, differentiating between acute invasive infection and forms of subacute, chronic, and allergic diseases and coinfections, and summarizes important manifestations of lesions associated with the different forms of pulmonary aspergillosis.

Keywords

pulmonary aspergillosis - histopathology - fungal histology - Aspergillus spp.


Publication History

Article published online:
24 January 2024

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