[Histological aspects of mycoses provoked by opportunistic fungi]

The histological study with Hotchkiss-Mc Manus staining and Grocott silver impregnation of tissues invaded by opportunistic fungi is a rapid and easy means of diagnosis. The inflammatory reactions around the fungus give the certitude that it is a pathogen and not a contaminant. The major opportunists among Canidida, Aspergillus, Mucor, Absidia and Cryptococcus species are presented in local and disseminated lesions, but all fungi, saprophytic in the normal host, can become pathogens in the immunodepressed patient.