The Journal of infection
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The Journal of infection · Sep 2014
Multicenter StudyAspergillus in the lower respiratory tract of immunocompetent critically ill patients.
To shed light on the meaning of Aspergillus-positive lower-respiratory-tract samples in non immunocompromized critically ill patients. ⋯ In critically ill immunocompetent patients, risk factors for presence of Aspergillus in lower respiratory tract specimens are steroid therapy (either chronic or initiated in the ICU), ARDS, and high severity of the acute illness. Prospective studies are warranted to further examine these risk factors and to investigate immune functions as well as the impact of antifungal therapy on patient outcomes.