Distribution of filamentous fungi causing invasive fungal disease at the haematological unit, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil

Very limited data are available in the literature to elucidate the aetiology of invasive mould infections in Latin America. Here we report that Aspergillus species caused only half of such cases in a cohort study conducted over 21 months in a university hospital in Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil. Fusarium spp. were the second most prevalent moulds (20.7 percent), followed by Zygomycetes (13.8 percent). The importance of obtaining local epidemiological data for adequately guiding empirical antifungal therapy is reinforced.