GC: n

S: EncBrit – http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/38934/aspergillosis (last access: 5 December 2014); NCBI – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25444026 (last access: 5 December 2014)

N: 1. aspergillosis (n): Late 19th century: from modern Latin Aspergillus, from aspergillum; + -osis, via Latin from Greek -ōsis, verbal noun ending, denoting a pathological state.
2. Aspergillus: Genus of filamentous, ubiquitous fungi, commonly isolated from soil, plant debris, and indoor air. Aspergillus was first described in 1729 by Pier Antonio Micheli, an Italian priest and biologist who was the first person to attempt the scientific study of fungi. Micheli opposed the idea of “spontaneous generation” by showing that fungal spores grown on a medium would produce the same kind of fungus. The shape of Aspergillus reminded him of an aspergillum (from the Latin aspergere, “to scatter”), a device used for sprinkling holy water during a liturgical service.
3. Infection by species of Aspergillus, marked by inflammatory granulomatous lesions in the skin, ear, orbit, nasal sinuses, lungs, and sometimes the bones and meninges.
4. Aspergillosis, a number of different disease states in human beings that are caused by fungi of the genus Aspergillus, especially A. fumigatus, A. flavus, and A. niger, and that produce a variety of effects on humans, ranging from no illness to allergic reactions to mild pneumonia to overwhelming generalized infection. The ubiquitous fungus Aspergillus is especially prevalent in the air. Inhalation of Aspergillus is common, but the fungus can also be introduced into the body through a cut or a surgical wound.
5. Invasive aspergillosis is the most serious form of the disease and is a special threat to immunocompromised patients.
6. Cultural Interrelation: Although not directly linked to causes of death, studies of ancient Egyptian tombs that had not been exposed to modern contaminants
have found pathogenic fungi like Aspergillus niger (a causative agent of aspergilloma) and Aspergillus flavus (associated with aspergillosis of
the lungs). At the concentrations typically found, these pathogens are generally only dangerous to persons with weakened immune systems.

S: 1. OD – http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/es/definicion/ingles/aspergillosis (last access: 8 December 2014); OD – http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/es/definicion/ingles/-osis (last access: 8 December 2014). 2. NCBI – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3291468/ (last access: 8 December 2014). 3. DORLAND p. 165. 4. EncBrit – http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/38934/aspergillosis (last access: 8 December 2014). 5. TERMIUM PLUS (last access: 8 December 2014). 6. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tim_Sandle/publication/258842087_Pharaohs_and_Mummies_Diseases_of_Ancient_Egypt_and_Modern_Approaches/links/00b4952ca6ed0e01d1000000.pdf (last access: 12.06.2016).

SYN: aspergillomycosis

S: DORLAND p. 165

CR: antifungal, mycosis.