ASPERGILLOSIS AND MALIGNANT HEMOPATHIES

Infections caused by fungi of the genus Aspergillus have become a majo r and dangerous problem in the modern treatments of blood diseases usi ng cytotoxic drugs. Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is the usual clin ical manifestation of the disease. The clinical signs, not very sugges tive, are those of an infective pneumonia and localized radiological f orms are initially more frequent in most cases. The extra pulmonary fo rms are frequent : nose and sinus, skin, bone, digestive, central nerv ous system are principal localisations; but all organs may be affected by the processus of dissemination. The proximal tracheobronchial loca lisations may be seen by fibroscopy in 20 % of cases, associated to in vasive pulmonary aspergillosis. Diagnosis rests on pathological data, but in many cases the only possible examinations are broncho-alveolar lavage and bronchial brushing. The positive results are a major test o f diagnosis.