Fungal infections in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Defects in cell-mediated immunity caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) render AIDS patients particularly susceptible to fungal pathogens. Signs and symptoms of serious infection may be nonspecific, and early diagnosis and institution of antifungal therapy is essential to decrease morbidity and mortality in this patient population. In a symptomatic individual, invasive procedures are often required to establish a microbiologic diagnosis, and histopathologic examination of tissue by light and electron microscopy is often the first indication of a serious fungal infection in an AIDS patient.