Detection of Opportunistic Fungi from the Bronchoalveolar Lavage Specimens of Patients with Pulmonary Diseases.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Opportunistic fungi are a constantly evolving group of pathogens that become active when the immune system is compromised, begin to multiply, and soon overwhelm the weakened immune system. This study was performed to evaluate the number of opportunistic fungi in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples of patients with pulmonary diseases.

Materials and methods

After receiving patients' consent and demographic forms, a total of 120 BAL samples were taken by a pulmonary physician. The etiologic agents were identified by standard morphological and molecular methods. Yeast cells were counted on culture media, and direct smears were precisely examined for the presence of yeasts elements, Pneumocystis, and filamentous fungi.

Results

In this study, 29 (24.1%) p

SUBMITTER: Kianipour S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10492593 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature