Aspergillus is a type of fungus (a spore-forming mold) commonly found both outdoors and indoors.
It grows on plants, soil, rotting vegetable matter, household dust, building materials, and food items.
There are about 180 species of Aspergillus, fewer than 40 of which can cause disease in people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Aspergillus fumigatus is responsible for 90 percent of Aspergillus illnesses, according to a 1999 report in the journal Clinical Microbiology Reviews.
Other disease-causing species include A. flavus, A. terreus, A. niger, and A. nidulans.
Everyone breathes in at least several hundred A. fumigatus spores every day, but these spores usually don't cause illness in people with healthy immune systems.
Aspergillus diseases typically occur in people with weakened immune systems or lung diseases.

Aspergillus Fumigatus Illnesses

There are several different types of Aspergillus diseases.
Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, or ABPA, is an allergic reaction to Aspergillus that causes inflammation of the lungs. It's most common in people with cystic fibrosis or asthma.
Similarly, allergic Aspergillus sinusitis is an allergic reaction to Aspergillus that causes inflammation of the sinuses (sinusitis).
Aspergilloma, or "fungus ball," is an Aspergillus ball that grows in the lungs and sinuses. It usually affects people with lung diseases, such as tuberculosis, who have pre-existing cavities in their lungs; the fungi grow within those cavities.
Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, a long-term Aspergillus infection, causes cavities in the lungs.
Like aspergilloma, this disease typically affects people with certain lung diseases, including tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and sarcoidosis.
People with weakened immune systems — such as from leukemia, organ transplants, or certain medications — may develop a serious Aspergillus infection called invasive aspergillosis.
This infection occurs when Aspergillus spores infect the lungs and then migrate into the bloodstream, traveling to other organs and spreading the infection. There 's a very high risk of mortality when someone has invasive Aspergillus.

Aspergillus Fumigatus Symptoms

Symptoms of A. fumigatus vary depending on the type of disease.
Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis may cause:
  • Wheezing and coughing, sometimes with mucus or blood
  • Fever
  • Chest pain
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Fatigue
  • Weight loss
Fungus balls also cause cough (with or without blood) and difficulty breathing.
Allergic Aspergillus sinusitis causes typical sinusitis symptoms, including:
  • Stuffy or runny nose
  • Headache
  • Reduced sense of smell
Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) causes symptoms similar to those of asthma, including:
  • Wheezing and shortness of breath
  • Cough, especially with brown-colored mucus
  • Fever (in rare cases)
Invasive aspergillosis can cause a number of severe symptoms, which differ depending on the organs affected.
Symptoms can include:
  • Fever and chills
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Kidney or liver failure
  • Shock
  • Chest pain
  • Bloody cough
  • Bleeding in the lungs

Aspergillus Fumigatus Treatment

The allergic forms of A. fumigatus disease are usually treated with the antifungal drug itraconazole.
Various corticosteroids — including prednisone, prednisolone, and methylprednisolone — may also help for allergic bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis.
Surgery is often necessary to remove aspergillomas.
Invasive aspergillosis is typically treated with the antifungal drug voriconazole, and occasionally with surgery, depending on the extent of disease. Other possible antifungal medications include:
  • Itraconazole
  • Lipid amphotericin formulations
  • Caspofungin
  • Micafungin
  • Posaconazole
However, some of these drugs are no longer as effective as they once were.
Resistance to the azole class of antifungals (including itraconazole and posaconazole) has increased sharply since 2004.
This drug resistance is a growing problem in treating Aspergillus diseases, according to a 2009 article in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.