Overview

Endemic tropical mycoses include paracoccidiodomycosis in Latin America, and coccidiodomycosis and histoplasmosis in the Americas. The large majority of patients exposed to these funguses remains asymptomatic or develop only mild symptoms. Medical conditions that impaired T cell immunity, including solid organ transplants (SOT), however, is a recognized risk for disease development and dissemination.

Since endemic mycoses are not reportable diseases in most countries, the epidemiological and clinical data are fragmentary and limited, based on case reports and single-center studies.

Endemic mycoses in SOT can occur via primary infection, reactivation of previous latent infections, re-infection in patients with prior exposure, or due donor-derived infection.

Although endemic mycoses occur infrequently, active disease may case serious and life-threating infections in patients with SOT, and clinical suspicion is essential for early diagnosis and therapy. 

Objectives

After this lecture, you will be able to discuss about:

• Epidemiology of Endemic Mycosis - Cocci, Paracocci, Histo
• Risk assessment of endemic mycoses in the tropics – who should be screened or monitor.
• Clinical presentation
• Diagnosis challenges
• Treatment and prophylaxis