Aspergillus is caused by a group of related fungi, mold. There are around 50 species of aspergillus that cause human disease and harmful allergic conditions/ syndromes. Aspergillus has a variable incubation period of up to three months. A. fumigatus causes most invasive aspergillus disease, most chronic infections, and most allergic conditions of the aspergillus fungi, mold. Aspergillus is found worldwide and in the United States. Aspergillus is present in composting plant material, in dusty barns, and is a possible occupational exposure of construction workers, for example. Overall immunosuppression, use of glucocorticoids, and neutropenia are risk factors for invasive aspergillus infection. Patients with pulmonary aspergillus often have underlying lung disease such as C.O.P.D.. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis may cause cavitary pulmonary lesions and can be mistaken for T.B. or sarcoidosis. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis is considered a semi-invasive form of aspergillosis. An aspergilloma is a fungus ball. It may develop following cavitary lesion development from chronic pulmonary aspergillosis or other cavity-producing pulmonary diseases. Multiple invasive forms of aspergillus are known, invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, invasive sinusitis, and disseminated aspergillosis, to name a few. Aspergillosis can also infect the brain, endocardium, and skin. Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis occurs more often in patients with asthma. Invasive aspergillus sinusitis is more often seen in patients with immunosuppression and can cause tissue necrosis in the sinuses. Aspergillosis can be diagnosed by fungal culture, cytology, or microscopy preparations demonstrating aspergillosis fungal hyphae; there is also an Aspergillus antigen test. Positive aspergillus fungal culture taken from an ordinary sterile site is required to make the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis. Treatment for aspergillosis is with antifungals. A few antifungals used to treat aspergillosis are itraconazole, caspofungin, and amphotericin B. Patients with a high risk of developing aspergillosis, such as patients with resultant immunosuppression related to treatment for a hematologic cancer, may be recommended to take prophylactic medication such as fluconazole. Invasive aspergillosis has a high mortality rate of 30-70%, even if treated.
 

Reference:

Denning DW. Aspergillosis. In: Jameson J, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Longo DL, Loscalzo J. eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 20e. McGraw Hill; 2018.