Aspergillosis epidemiology and demographics


 * Associate Editor-In-Chief:

Overview
Mallards and other ducks are particularly susceptible to Aspergillosis as they will often resort to poor food sources during bad weather.

Albeit relatively rare in humans, aspergillosis is a common and dangerous infection in birds, particularly in pet parrots and parakeets.

While there is no connection between Aspergillosis and the H5N1 strain of Avian Influenza (commonly called "bird flu"), the rapid die-offs it causes can spark fears of a bird-flu outbreak in the communities where the die-offs occur. There is no outwardly visible sign off the fungal infection as the cause; laboratory analysis is the only way to prove or disprove bird-flu or Aspergillosis.

Incidence
Aspergillosis is very rare. Because aspergillosis is not a reportable infection, the exact incidence is difficult to determine; however, population-based data from San Francisco suggest a rate of 1 to 2 cases per 100,000 people per year

Surveillance
No national surveillance exists. Active surveillance is being conducted among hematopoietic stem cell and solid organ transplant recipients in selected U.S. hospitals.