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Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical significance of Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans in respiratory secretions from patients with cystic fibrosis and to assess the immune response to these fungi in serum., Patients and Methods: The study included 66 patients with cystic fibrosis (34 men; mean age, 16.2 years). Sera from 15 healthy individuals were used as controls., Results: The serum concentrations of immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgA, and IgM against A fumigatus and C albicans were higher in patients than in the control group. There was no correlation between the presence of A fumigatus in respiratory secretions and the immune response to the fungus measured in serum. In contrast, the presence of C albicans in respiratory secretions was correlated with the immune response to that fungus. The likelihood of obtaining A fumigatus cultures from respiratory secretions increased with age. The presence of these fungi in respiratory samples was not a risk factor for greater respiratory impairment., Conclusions: In response to increased colonization of the lower respiratory tract by A fumigatus and C albicans, patients with cystic fibrosis have elevated serum levels of IgG, IgA, and IgM against those fungi. In patients with cystic fibrosis, culture of sputum and oropharyngeal secretions is adequate for the assessment of lower respiratory tract colonization by C albicans but not A fumigatus. Fungal colonization of the lower respiratory tract is not a risk factor for greater respiratory impairment in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of Aspergillus fumigatus and Candida albicans in the sputa of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), to assess serologic IgE responses of these patients to the presence of fungi in the sputum, to evaluate what effect this may have on clinical status, and to determine how the above-mentioned factors relate to allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA)., Patients: Seventy-six CF patients (40 male and 36 female patients; age, 15.3 plus minus 8.7 years [mean plus minus SD]) were studied., Measurements and Results: A total of 1,239 sputum samples from 66 patients were cultured for fungi. A fumigatus was grown in 256 sputum specimens (20.7%), and C albicans was grown in 588 sputum samples (47.5%). Forty patients (60.6%) had at least one positive culture finding for A fumigatus, and 58 patients (87.9%) had at least one positive culture finding for C albicans. Forty-nine patients (64.5%) were sensitized to A fumigatus, and 20 patients (26.7%) were sensitized to C albicans. No correlation was found between the finding of A fumigatus in sputum and IgE to A fumigatus. Only patients who had at least one positive culture finding for C albicans had IgE to C albicans develop. Lung function values and chest radiograph scores were not significantly lower in patients sensitized to either A fumigatus or C albicans as compared to nonsensitized patients. Of the 20 patients sensitized to C albicans, 10 patients had confirmed ABPA and 10 patients had some immunologic characteristics of ABPA., Conclusions: A high prevalence of colonization and sensitization to A fumigatus and C albicans in CF patients was observed. The sensitization to these fungi was not related to the clinical severity. IgE to C albicans may be an immunologic marker related to the development of ABPA in patients with CF.

Although the spectrumof fungal pathology has been studied extensively in immunosuppressed patients, little is known about the epidemiology, risk factors, and management of fungal infections in chronic pulmonary diseases like bronchiectasis. In bronchiectasis patients, deteriorated mucociliary clearance--generally due to prior colonization by bacterial pathogens--and thick mucosity propitiate, the persistence of fungal spores in the respiratory tract. The most prevalent fungi in these patients are Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus; these are almost always isolated with bacterial pathogens like Haemophillus influenzae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, making very difficult to define their clinical significance. Analysis of the mycobiome enables us to detect a greater diversity of microorganisms than with conventional cultures. The results have shown a reduced fungal diversity in most chronic respiratory diseases, and that this finding correlates with poorer lung function. Increased knowledge of both the mycobiome and the complex interactions between the fungal, viral, and bacterial microbiota, including mycobacteria, will further our understanding of the mycobiome's relationship with the pathogeny of bronchiectasis and the development of innovative therapies to combat it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]