Abstract
BACKGROUND: Numbers of rare invasive fungal diseases (IFD) are rising worldwide due to increasing patient population at risk. To broaden the knowledge on epidemiology of rare IFD and eventually improving diagnosis and clinical outcome, FungiScope™, a global registry for rare IFD, has been initiated. METHODS: FungiScope™ uses web-based data capture (www.clinicalsurveys.net). Eligible are cases with proven or probable infection due to rare, non-endemic fungi. Data collected include demographics, underlying conditions, clinical presentation, diagnostics, antifungal therapy and outcome. Clinical isolates are collected for centralized identification, susceptibility testing and exchange between collaborators. RESULTS: To date, 728 valid cases of rare IFD from 41 countries are included in the registry: IFD due to Mucormycetes (n = 358), Fusarium spp. (n = 87), rare yeasts (n = 83), dematiaceae (n = 69), and Scedosporium spp. (n = 55) are the most frequently reported. FungiScope™ is supported by central labs in the Czech Republic, India, Russia, and Spain. Recently, FungiScope™ collaborators jointly published results on (I) invasive mucormycosis in children analyzed together with cases from the registry study Zygomyco.net, (II) disseminated fusariosis in 10 children, and (III) invasive infections due to Saprochaete and Geotrichum spp. in 23 patients. CONCLUSION: The clinical relevance and by this the awareness of emerging IFD is increasing. FungiScope™ is a valuable resource used for collaborative studies on rare IFD. Operating and management of the registry requires considerable effort to ensure high data quality for comprehensive analyses, which provide insights into current clinical management of the diseases and thus, hold the potential to identify strategies for early diagnosis and effective treatment. DISCLOSURES: M. J. G. T. Vehreschild, Pfizer: Speaker’s Bureau, Speaker honorarium; MSD/Merck: Consultant and Speaker’s Bureau, Consulting fee and Speaker honorarium; Gilead Sciences: Research Contractor and Speaker’s Bureau, Research grant and Speaker honorarium; Organobalance: Speaker’s Bureau, Speaker honorarium; Astellas Pharma: Consultant, Research Contractor and Speaker’s Bureau, Consulting fee, Research grant and Speaker honorarium; 3M: Research Contractor, Research grant; DaVolterra: Research Contractor, Research grant; Berlin Chemie: Consultant, Consulting fee. J. Vehreschild, Merck / MSD: Consultant, Research Contractor and Speaker’s Bureau, Consulting fee, Research grant and Speaker honorarium; Gilead: Consultant, Research Contractor and Speaker’s Bureau, Consulting fee, Research grant and Speaker honorarium; Pfizer: Research Contractor and Speaker’s Bureau, Research grant and Speaker honorarium; Astellas Pharma: Consultant, Research Contractor and Speaker’s Bureau, Consulting fee, Research grant and Speaker honorarium; Basilea: Consultant, Research Contractor and Speaker’s Bureau, Consulting fee, Research grant and Speaker honorarium; Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung: Member, Research Contractor and Speaker’s Bureau, Research grant and Speaker honorarium; Uniklinik Freiburg/Kongress und Kommunikation: Speaker’s Bureau, Speaker honorarium; Akademie für Infektionsmedizin: Speaker’s Bureau, Speaker honorarium; Universität Manchester: Speaker’s Bureau, Speaker honorarium; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Infektiologie: Member and Speaker’s Bureau, Speaker honorarium; Ärztekammer Nordrhein: Speaker’s Bureau, Speaker honorarium; Uniklinik Aachen: Speaker’s Bureau, Speaker honorarium; Back Bay Strategies: Speaker’s Bureau, Speaker honorarium; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Innere Medizin: Member and Speaker’s Bureau, Speaker honorarium. O. A. Cornely, Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Basilea Pharmaceutica, F2G, Gilead Sciences, MSD Sharp and Dohme, Scynexis Inc.: Consultant, Consulting fee; Amplyx Pharmaceuticals, Basilea Pharmaceutica, F2G, Gilead Sciences, MSD Sharp and Dohme, Scynexis Inc.: Grant Investigator, Research grant; Basilea Pharmaceutica, Gilead Sciences, MSD Sharp and Dohme, Pfizer: Speaker’s Bureau, Speaker honorarium.