[Fungi in the home and hospital environment]

From the viewpoint of 40 years of experience in the field of medical mycology with the help of current topics the competence of the medical mycologist for evaluation of a presence of fungi in the home and hospital environment is commented. The topics considered are as follows: 1. The HIV-infected person and the habitat of Cr. neoformans; the predisposition for cryptococcosis and the CD4 lymphocyte count. 2. Invasive aspergillosis after heart transplantation; by exemplary cooperation between the heart surgeon and the medical mycologist it could be demonstrated that the frequently fatal invasive aspergillosis can be avoided. 3. Attention is drawn to the currently most interesting habitats of fungi in the home environment, i.e., biological waste and compost. It has been shown that among the various fungi, the causative agents of systemic mycoses may also be found.