This week’s PubMed search for aspergillosis identified several new papers relevant to aspergillosis diagnosis, treatment, host-pathogen biology, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA), and chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA).
Key themes this week
- Bronchoscopic intervention in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis: a Chinese clinical analysis reports on bronchoscopic features and interventional therapy in IPA.
- ABPA guidance and imaging: one expert consensus paper and one adult asthma imaging study add to the ABPA literature.
- Diagnostics: new papers discuss galactomannan biology, metagenomic next-generation sequencing, and radiological assessment.
- Complex invasive fungal infection: several case-based reports highlight diagnostic difficulty in mixed or unusual fungal infections.
- Antifungal pharmacology: a real-life cohort study examines isavuconazole pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA)
Expert consensus on ABPA diagnosis and treatment using integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine
Allergy Committee of Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine.
Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2026 May 12;106(17):1678-1695.
doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112137-20260101-00001
PMID: 42103676
This Chinese expert consensus addresses diagnosis and treatment of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. The abstract notes that ABPA is a hypersensitivity lung disease triggered by sensitisation to Aspergillus fumigatus or other Aspergillus species, with reported incidence of 1.0–3.5% in asthma patients and 7–15% in cystic fibrosis patients.
Why it matters: Although this is a Chinese-language consensus document and includes integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine approaches, it may still be useful to track because international consensus documents can show how ABPA recognition and management are evolving globally.
Radiological manifestations of ABPA in adult asthmatic patients
Wahab F, Hussain Babar T, Nadeem SF, Amin Z, Sarwar S, Ahmad S, Wahab A, Mukhtar S.
Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease. 2026 May 7. Online ahead of print.
doi: 10.4081/monaldi.2026.3648
PMID: 42099257
This paper focuses on radiological findings in adults with asthma and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. The PubMed abstract describes ABPA as developing through type I or type III hypersensitivity reactions to filamentous fungi such as Aspergillus.
Why it matters: Imaging remains central to recognising ABPA complications such as bronchiectasis, mucus plugging and other structural airway changes. Papers that improve recognition of radiological patterns may help reduce diagnostic delay in patients labelled as having difficult asthma alone.
Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) and complex fungal infection
Clinical analysis of comprehensive bronchoscopic interventional therapy for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis
Li J, Cai CL, Zhao LN, Wang YH, Mu XD.
Zhonghua Jie He He Hu Xi Za Zhi. 2026 May 12;49(5):555-560.
doi: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112147-20250719-00420
PMID: 42108177
This Chinese-language clinical analysis investigates bronchoscopic features of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and summarises the clinical efficacy of comprehensive bronchoscopic interventional therapy. Underlying conditions in the reported cases included diabetes mellitus and haematological malignancy.
Why it matters: Bronchoscopy can contribute both diagnostically and therapeutically in selected patients with IPA, particularly where airway obstruction, fungal plaques, necrotic material or local complications are present. This paper may be of interest to clinicians managing complex IPA cases.
Fatal triple co-infection with Aspergillus, Mucorales and Nocardia in aplastic anaemia
Sadeghi Borkehim S, Azhdari Tehrani H, Javandoust Gharehbagh F, Kord M, Azimi M, Alavi Darazam I.
BMC Infectious Diseases. 2026 May 9.
doi: 10.1186/s12879-026-13190-0
PMID: 42106631
This case report describes a fatal triple co-infection involving Aspergillus, Mucorales and Nocardia in a patient with aplastic anaemia.
Why it matters: In severely immunocompromised patients, invasive fungal disease may not occur in isolation. Mixed infections can complicate diagnosis, delay targeted treatment and require broader microbiological investigation than would be needed for a single-pathogen infection.
Cladribine treatment in pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis complicated by invasive aspergillosis
Piekarczyk P, Pajer M, Kupis W, Wojda E, Nowicka U, Radzikowska E.
Polish Archives of Internal Medicine. 2026 May 4. Online ahead of print.
doi: 10.20452/pamw.17292
PMID: 42100864
This free article reports cladribine treatment in a young patient with isolated progressive pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis complicated by invasive aspergillosis. No abstract was available in the PubMed record.
Why it matters: This appears to be a highly specialised case, but it highlights the intersection between rare lung disease, immunomodulatory treatment and risk of invasive fungal infection.
Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in an apparently immunocompetent host
Beeravolu HR, Ghewade B, Alone V, Mummaneni R, Patil PA.
Respiratory Medicine Case Reports. 2026 Apr 27;61:102425. eCollection 2026.
doi: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2026.102425
PMID: 42088316
This case report describes invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in an immunocompetent host. Although IPA classically occurs in immunocompromised patients, the authors note that it can occasionally occur without obvious immunosuppression, which may contribute to diagnostic delay.
Why it matters: Case reports of IPA in apparently immunocompetent patients should be interpreted cautiously, but they are useful reminders that clinical context, imaging, microbiology and disease trajectory all matter when assessing possible invasive fungal infection.
Diagnostics, biomarkers and fungal biology
Structure and biosynthetic mechanisms of galactomannans in filamentous fungi
Oka T, Kadooka C, Tanaka Y, Hira D.
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta – General Subjects. 2026 May 7;1870(8):130960. Online ahead of print.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2026.130960
PMID: 42105885
This review focuses on galactomannans in filamentous fungi. Galactomannan contains mannose and galactofuranose; galactofuranose is absent in humans and is clinically important because galactomannan detection is used in the diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.
Why it matters: Galactomannan is one of the best-known fungal biomarkers in aspergillosis diagnostics. Understanding its structure and biosynthesis helps explain both the value and limitations of galactomannan-based testing.
Metagenomic next-generation sequencing for severe influenza complicated by invasive pulmonary aspergillosis
Niu S, Guo L, Li Z, Liu Y, Zhao L.
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. 2026 Apr 21;16:1746504. eCollection 2026.
doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2026.1746504
PMID: 42093770
This study evaluates the diagnostic performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing for detecting invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in patients with severe influenza.
Why it matters: Influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis is increasingly recognised in critically ill patients. Rapid molecular methods such as metagenomic next-generation sequencing may help identify fungal infection earlier, although interpretation requires care because detection of fungal DNA does not always prove invasive disease.
Antifungal treatment and pharmacology
Real-life pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of isavuconazole
Guidi M, Couchepin J, Reinhold I, Kronig I, Neofytos D, Schreiber PW, André P, Buclin T, Lamoth F.
JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance. 2026 May 5;8(3):dlag071. eCollection 2026 Jun.
doi: 10.1093/jacamr/dlag071
This paper reports real-life pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data for isavuconazole, an antifungal used in invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis.
Why it matters: Real-world pharmacology studies are important because antifungal exposure can vary between patients. Better understanding of drug levels, exposure-response relationships and clinical outcomes may help refine antifungal monitoring and dosing strategies.
Aspergillus species, virulence and non-human disease
Pathogenic mechanisms of Aspergillus lentulus infection in Galleria mellonella
Zhang L, Ji M, Hasimu H, Abliz P.
Mycopathologia. 2026 May 9;191(3):51.
doi: 10.1007/s11046-026-01072-7
PMID: 42105125
This experimental study investigates pathogenic mechanisms of Aspergillus lentulus infection using Galleria mellonella larvae, focusing on oxidative stress and tissue damage.
Why it matters: Aspergillus lentulus is a clinically important cryptic species within the Aspergillus fumigatus complex and may show reduced susceptibility to some antifungals. Model systems such as Galleria mellonella can help explore fungal virulence mechanisms before moving into more complex models.
Antemortem diagnosis of aspergillosis in a gentoo penguin
Matsumoto N, Itoh M, Toyotome T, Watanabe K, Yamada M, Hagino K, Neo S, Yamada K.
Journal of Veterinary Medical Science. 2026 May 7. Online ahead of print.
doi: 10.1292/jvms.25-0377
PMID: 42091553
This veterinary case report describes antemortem diagnosis of aspergillosis in a gentoo penguin using computed tomography and air sac fluid aspiration.
Why it matters: Aspergillosis is an important disease in birds, particularly captive penguins. Although not directly relevant to human clinical care, veterinary aspergillosis studies can contribute to understanding host susceptibility, environmental exposure and diagnostic approaches across species.
Related respiratory and microbiome research
The gut microbiome in cystic fibrosis
Marsh R, Tricker JM, Delhaes L, Bomberger JM, van der Gast C.
Journal of Cystic Fibrosis. 2026 May 9. Online ahead of print.
doi: 10.1016/j.jcf.2026.05.003
PMID: 42108153
This review discusses recent findings and future opportunities relating to the gut microbiome in cystic fibrosis.
Why it matters: This is not primarily an aspergillosis paper, but cystic fibrosis is an important context for allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and airway fungal colonisation. Microbiome research may eventually help clarify how bacterial, fungal and host factors interact in chronic airway disease.
Summary
This week’s most directly relevant papers include new work on bronchoscopic management of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, ABPA consensus and imaging, galactomannan biology, molecular diagnosis in influenza-associated pulmonary aspergillosis, and real-world isavuconazole pharmacology. Several case reports also underline the continuing diagnostic difficulty of invasive fungal disease, particularly in complex or immunocompromised patients.
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