Fungal Infections Complicating COVID-19

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will be dedicated to fungal infections complicating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Opportunistic infections following respiratory viral infections has been recognized since the 1918 influenza pandemic. Although the vast majority of COVID-19 cases are mild to moderate, approximately 15% of patients diagnosed with COVID-19 require hospitalization and supplementary oxygen, and 5% of patients develop critical disease with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and require ICU admission. ARDS may also be a consequence of infections with other respiratory viruses, like influenza, where invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) occurs in up to one-third of critical ill patients. Although the pathophysiology of COVID-19 is not completely understood, it is plausible that immune dysregulation and lung damage stemming from COVID-19 immunopathology facilitate Aspergillus superinfection in a way that is at least partially distinct from other respiratory viruses. From Wuhan, epidemiological studies indicate that invasive fungal infections may occur in between 4–5% of COVID-19 episodes requiring ICU admission. Given that in Wuhan galactomannan testing is rarely available and fungal diagnostics are sparse, this is likely an underestimate of the real burden of IPA in patients with COVID-19 requiring ICU admission. Recent reports from Europe indicate that IPA may occur in up to 30% of COVID-19 patients requiring ICU admission.

This Special Issue will focus on fungal infections complicating COVID-19, ranging from basic science papers elucidating pathophysiology and immunology, including mycobiome studies; to diagnostic studies evaluating microbiological and clinical/radiological findings; to clinical studies and observations (including case reports and case series) of fungal infections complicating COVID-19. While the primary focus will be invasive fungal infections, large case series of non-invasive fungal infections (e.g. thrush) will be considered as well. 

Prof. Dr. Martin Hoenigl
Dr. Alida Fe Talento
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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