{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,3]],"date-time":"2026-11-03T22:49:25Z","timestamp":1793746165754,"version":"4.6.1"},"reference-count":109,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,7,9]],"date-time":"2021-07-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1625788800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"National Research Foundation of South Africa","award":["115566"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["115566"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JoF"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Severe cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) managed in the intensive care unit are prone to complications, including secondary infections with opportunistic fungal pathogens. Systemic fungal co-infections in hospitalized COVID-19 patients may exacerbate COVID-19 disease severity, hamper treatment effectiveness and increase mortality. Here, we reiterate the role of fungal co-infections in exacerbating COVID-19 disease severity as well as highlight emerging trends related to fungal disease burden in COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, we provide perspectives on the risk factors for fungal co-infections in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and highlight the potential role of prolonged immunomodulatory treatments in driving fungal co-infections, including COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA), COVID-19-associated candidiasis (CAC) and mucormycosis. We reiterate the need for early diagnosis of suspected COVID-19-associated systemic mycoses in the hospital setting.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jof7070545","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,7,9]],"date-time":"2021-07-09T04:14:57Z","timestamp":1625804097000},"page":"545","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":48,"title":["Risk Factors for Fungal Co-Infections in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients, with a Focus on Immunosuppressants"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"7","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1819-8804","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Obinna T.","family":"Ezeokoli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Yeast Research Group, Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Onele","family":"Gcilitshana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yeast Research Group, Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carolina H.","family":"Pohl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yeast Research Group, Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,7,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Worldometers (2021, June 23). 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