Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 January 2015
There has been a tremendous increase in the number of immunocompromised patients over the past few decades, which has resulted in an increased number of serious fungal infections. These infections frequently require an invasive procedure, such as bone, lung, or lymph node biopsy, in order to obtain tissue for diagnosis. Far too often the tissue obtained by such means is not optimally utilized. For example, the tissue may be placed in formalin without being appropriately cultured, or the incorrect choice of tissue stains may result in the pathogen either being missed or being incorrectly identified. Clearly, this problem should be addressed by both the pathologist and the clinician.