The experts in the field of infectious diseases and microbiology from all over India discussed major issues concerning fungal infections at the third regional conference of Fungal Infection Study Forum (FISF), organised at PGIMER by Department of Medical Microbiology and Internal Medicine on Saturday.
Over 200 delegates from northern region of India participated in the conference.
FISF is a dedicated organisation aiming to strengthen knowledge and management of fungal infections by conducting educational activities and clinical, epidemiological studies.
Dr Arunaloke Chakrabarti, Professor and Head of Department of Medical Microbiology, PGIMER, emphasised the high rate of fungal infection in India especially in ICUs and discussed the epidemiology of major invasive fungal infections including candidemia, aspergillosis, mucormycosis and brain abscess by Cladophialophorabantiana.
He stressed the need of increased awareness, improved hospital care practices and more number of diagnostic mycology laboratories in this country.
Dr SubhashTodi, Director, Critical care of AMRI Hospital from Kolkata, projected the challenges faced in diagnosis of fungal infections namely difficulty of differentiating bacterial and fungal sepsis, decision as to the fungal agent is a coloniser or a pathogen, detecting source of infection and performing antifungal susceptibility so as to guide antifungal therapy of the patient.