Invasive Fungal Diseases: Pathogen Detection and Diagnosis Development

Over the years, invasive fungal infections (IFI), mainly caused by Candida spp or Aspergillus spp and other fungi, have been increasingly reported and described. Invasive fungal infections have become the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals. Appropriate detection and identification of pathogenic fungi are required to augment activity and reduce the toxicity of antifungal drugs and promote the development of treatment. The early identification of different invasive fungal infections is of utmost importance in the diagnosis, as antifungal therapy for each is different. Unfortunately, the underlying conditions of various different invasive fungal infections are similar, and the imaging findings are not specific enough to ascertain the diagnosis. Significant advances in the diagnosis of invasive fungal diseases have been made in the last few years. However, the detection of pathogenic fungi and diagnosis of invasive fungal diseases remain difficult, and accurate diagnostic tools are urgently needed.

In This Research Topic, we focus on the detection of pathogenic fungi and the diagnosis of invasive fungal diseases, especially great diagnostic strategies and the development of novel diagnostic technologies and methods for invasive fungal diseases.

Submissions with great insights into sub-topics including but not limited to the following are highly welcome.
• Emerging technologies, such as molecular methods, and next-generation sequencing for the diagnosis of invasive fungal diseases
• Development of new laboratory diagnostic and imaging procedures for the detection of pathogenic fungi
• Novel diagnostic strategies to help timely diagnose and prevent the high morbidity and mortality of invasive fungal diseases
• Rapid detection method for identifying pathogenic fungi
• Application of artificial intelligence in early diagnosis of invasive fungal diseases