Histoplasmosis: twenty years experience in a general hospital

Area of Science:

• Mycology
• Infectious Diseases
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Histoplasmosis, caused by Histoplasma capsulatum, is a prevalent fungal infection.
• Clinical manifestations of histoplasmosis range from asymptomatic to severe disseminated disease.
• Progressive disseminated histoplasmosis is a rare but serious complication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize clinical and laboratory data of patients with histoplasmosis.
• To evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of progressive disseminated histoplasmosis.
• To highlight the limitations of current diagnostic methods for histoplasmosis.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of clinical and laboratory data.
• Inclusion of 57 patients diagnosed with histoplasmosis.
• Focus on 13 patients with progressive disseminated disease.

Main Results:

• Infection with Histoplasma capsulatum is common, but clinical disease is infrequent.
• Progressive disseminated histoplasmosis was observed in 13 out of 57 patients.
• Diagnostic methods showed limitations, underscoring challenges in identifying the disease.

Conclusions:

• Clinical histoplasmosis, especially disseminated forms, is rare despite prevalent infection.
• Accurate diagnosis of histoplasmosis is challenging due to limitations in diagnostic tools.
• Cultures from mucocutaneous biopsy material are crucial for diagnosing histoplasmosis.