Aspergilosis

Aspergillus (Aspergilli, pl)– Aspergillus, a saprophytic ubiquitous fungus first  described in 1729 by the Italian priest and biologist Pier Antonio Micheli. Micheli  who examined under microscope the shape of an aspergillum as holy water  sprinkler, derived from Latin spargere (to sprinkle), and hence the genus was  named accordingly. Aspergillus is a filamentous fungus. The genus Aspergillus is  very large and comprises about 250 species. Around 20 species have so far been  reported as causative agents of opportunistic infections in man. Among these, A.  fumigatus is the most commonly isolated species, followed by A. flavus and A.niger.