Drug resistant aspergillus, SEM

Drug resistant aspergillus. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of developing fruiting bodies (conidiophores) of azole resistant aspergillus fumigate. A. fumigatus can cause an invasive life-threatening infection, called aspergillosis, in people who have weakened immune systems or have had transplants. Patients with severe cases of respiratory infections such as influenza or SARS-CoV-2 have also developed aspergillosis. Triazole antifungal drugs, commonly called azoles, are the primary treatment for aspergillosis. Azole-resistant A. fumigatus infections are difficult to treat, and these patients are up to 33% more likely to die than patients with infections that can be treated with azoles. Magnification: x 600 when printed at 10cm wide. Specimen courtesy of Darius Armstrong-James Professor of Infectious Diseases and Medical Mycology. Department of Microbiology, Imperial College, by STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY