ASPERGILLUS SPECIES
	Aspergillus fumigatus commonest cause of aspergillosis Image copyright (c) www.doctorfungus.org and used by permission	Aspergillus flavus common in severely immunocompromised individuals Image copyright (c) www.doctorfungus.org and used by permission	Aspergillus niger occasionally causes aspergillosis Image copyright (c) www.doctorfungus.org and used by permission
	Aspergillosis less commonly caused by A.niger, A. terreus, A. nidulans A.flavus causes a form of aspergillosis which affects immunocompromised individuals mainly. THE ORGANISM A saprophyte found often in soil Some species contain potent antigens The organism does not gain from invading and infecting the lung - lung disease is purely coincidental - it rarely spreads from the lung and cannot be passed from host to host The organism produces spores which colonise the respiratory tract
	WHERE IS IT FOUND Found commonly throughout nature - dust, plants, straw, soil, compost, grain In many individuals bodies without causing infection Common contaminant of Laboratory samples
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