Exposure to Aspergillus fumigatus mold can cause an infection called aspergillosis in some people.
Mold is often found outdoors on plants, soil, or rotting vegetable matter.
It also grows indoors on household dust, food items such as ground spices, and building materials.
Aspergillosis is caused in certain people when they inhale its spores.
Types
Pulmonary aspergillosis is most likely to develop in people who have chronic lung disorders or damaged lungs.
Invasive aspergillosis, the most severe type, occurs when the infection travels from the lungs into the bloodstream.
Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is an allergic reaction that happens to some people after exposure to Aspergillus fungus.
Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of aspergillosis vary with the type of illness you develop.
Some people with asthma or cystic fibrosis have an allergic reaction to aspergillus mold.
Signs and symptoms of this condition, known as allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, include:
Fever
A cough that may bring up blood or plugs of mucus
Worsening asthma
Aspergillomas may produce no symptoms or cause only a mild cough at first.
Over time and without treatment, however, aspergillomas can worsen the underlying chronic lung condition and possibly cause:
A cough that often brings up blood (hemoptysis)
Wheezing
Shortness of breath
Unintentional weight loss
Fatigue
Causes
Everyday exposure to aspergillus is rarely a problem for people with healthy immune systems.
When mold spores are inhaled, immune system cells surround and destroy them.
But people who have a weakened immune system from illness or immunosuppressant medications have fewer infection-fighting cells.
This allows aspergillus to take hold, invading the lungs and, in the most serious cases, other parts of the body.
Aspergillosis is not contagious from person to person.
Diagnosis
The symptoms of aspergillosis are also similar to those of other lung conditions such as tuberculosis.
Your doctor is likely to use one or more of the following tests to pinpoint the cause of your symptoms:
Respiratory secretion (sputum) test
Tissue and blood tests
Imaging test
Biopsy
Treatment
Aspergillosis treatments vary with the type of disease. Possible treatments include:
Oral corticosteroids – Antifungal medications by themselves aren’t helpful for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, but they may be combined with corticosteroids to reduce the dose of steroids and improve lung function.
Antifungal medications – the most effective treatment is a newer antifungal drug, voriconazole (Vfend), Amphotericin B is another option.
Surgery
Observation – if the condition progresses, then antifungal medications may be recommended.
Embolization – this procedure stops lung bleeding caused by an aspergilloma.
