Descrição
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the incidence of human fungal infections (60). A number of factors have been implicated with this increase, but it is generally accepted that the main influences relate to the more widespread provision of new medical practices, such as immunosuppressive therapy and use of broad spectrum antibiotics, and invasive surgical procedures such as solid organ or bone marrow transplantation. Infections may either be superficial, affecting the skin, hair, nails and mucosal membranes, or systemic, involving major body organs (95). The risk of systemic infection appears to be enhanced in cases where the individual is already colonized by Candida (71). With regard to superficial mucosal infections, the continued spread of HIV infection (29) and the more extensive use of inhaled steroids (36) have also played significant roles.
; Silva, Sónia Carina 
