Revision and Update of the Consensus Definitions of Invasive Fungal Disease From the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and the Mycoses Study Group Education and Research Consortium

Abstract

Abstract Background Invasive fungal diseases (IFDs) remain important causes of morbidity and mortality. The consensus definitions of the Infectious Diseases Group of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer and the Mycoses Study Group have been of immense value to researchers who conduct clinical trials of antifungals, assess diagnostic tests, and undertake epidemiologic studies. However, their utility has not extended beyond patients with cancer or recipients of stem cell or solid organ transplants. With newer diagnostic techniques available, it was clear that an update of these definitions was essential. Methods To achieve this, 10 working groups looked closely at imaging, laboratory diagnosis, and special populations at risk of IFD. A final version of the manuscript was agreed upon after the groups’ findings were presented at a scientific symposium and after a 3-month period for public comment. There were several rounds of discussion before a final version of the manuscript was approved. Results There is no change in the classifications of “proven,” “probable,” and “possible” IFD, although the definition of “probable” has been expanded and the scope of the category “possible” has been diminished. The category of proven IFD can apply to any patient, regardless of whether the patient is immunocompromised. The probable and possible categories are proposed for immunocompromised patients only, except for endemic mycoses. Conclusions These updated definitions of IFDs should prove applicable in clinical, diagnostic, and epidemiologic research of a broader range of patients at high-risk.

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Affiliated Institutions

• University of Wisconsin–Madison US
• Université Paris Cité FR
• Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris FR
• Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences NL
• Alfred Health AU
• South Texas Veterans Health Care System US
• The University of Melbourne AU
• University Hospital Heidelberg DE
• Johns Hopkins Medicine US
• Ankara University TR
• St George's, University of London GB
• Monash University AU
• University of Alabama at Birmingham US
• University College London GB
• University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences US
• Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico IT
• Lukaskrankenhaus DE
• University of California Davis Medical Center US
• Ospedale Policlinico San Martino IT
• The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center US
• University of Pennsylvania US
• University of Copenhagen DK
• University of Aberdeen GB
• Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre AU
• Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique FR
• Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore IT
• California Institute for Medical Research US
• University of Florida US
• Imperial College London GB
• University of Genoa IT
• The University of Sydney AU
• Meander Medisch Centrum NL
• Cornell University US
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention US
• VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System US
• KU Leuven BE
• Goethe University Frankfurt DE
• Masaryk University CZ
• University of Udine IT
• Hôpital Saint-Louis FR
• Universitätsklinikum Würzburg DE
• University Hospital Münster DE
• Pittsburg State University US
• Sydney Local Health District AU
• Westmead Institute AU
• Brown University US
• Augusta University US
• Canisius-Wilhelmina Ziekenhuis NL
• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia US
• Délégation Paris 7 FR
• University of Pittsburgh US
• Public Health Wales GB
• Duke Medical Center US
• Istituto Giannina Gaslini IT
• Stanford University US
• National Institutes of Health Clinical Center US
• Hippocration General Hospital GR
• Florida College US
• Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro BR
• University of Michigan US
• Instituto de Salud Carlos III ES
• Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust GB
• Institut Pasteur FR
• University Hospital Frankfurt DE
• Westmead Hospital AU
• Johns Hopkins University US
• Radboud University Medical Center NL
• University Hospital Brno CZ
• Heidelberg University DE
• University Hospital of Wales GB
• Radboud University Nijmegen NL
• University of Lausanne CH
• Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences US

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