An overview of pulmonary fungal infections

It sometimes seems as if there are dozens of different fungal organisms that can cause infection in the lung. Moreover, their names are difficult and disease caused by any one organism is rare in any clinical practice. Diagnosis is also difficult, and the relative role of direct smears, fungal cultures, histopathologic examination of tissue, and serologic tests is confusing. The serologic tests themselves often seem particularly confusing because multiple tests, often in different combinations, are used for each infection, each with a different method and different antigens (often abbreviated with initials). The material is forgotten as fast as it is learned. It seems difficult to have a good working knowledge of the area.