Aspergillosis is the name given to a variety of diseases caused by fungal infections of the genus Aspergillus. The most common forms are allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, pulmonary aspergillosis and invasive aspergillosis. Most people inhale Aspergillus spores daily, and Aspergillosis occurs primarily in immunocompromised individuals. Alternatively, due to this disease, or to immunosuppressive drugs, it is the leading cause of death in acute leukemia and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The most common cause is Aspergillus fumigatus. Symptomatic fungal balls in the lungs may not produce symptoms and may be detected only by chest x-ray, or may cause recurrent coughing up of blood and occasionally severe, even fatal, (vascular rupture) bleeding. Acute onset invasive Aspergillus lung infections often cause cough, fever, chest pain, and dyspnea. Aspergillosis affects deeper tissues and can be very sick. Symptoms include fever, chills, shock, gibberish, and blood clotting. Patients can develop kidney failure, liver failure (jaundice), and respiratory distress. Death can occur quickly. Aspergillosis of the ear canal can cause itching and occasional pain. Fluid from the ear overnight may leave stains on the pillow. Sinus Aspergillosis can cause nasal congestion, sometimes painful or with discharge. In addition to these symptoms, fluoroscopy or computed tomography (CT) scans of the infected area may provide clues to the diagnosis. Whenever possible, physicians send a sample of infectious material to a laboratory to identify the fungus. To diagnose chest fluoroscopy and CT , the classic presentation of pulmonary aspergillosis is the lunar halo sign, followed by the air hemimelia sign. Hematological tests for invasive Aspergillosis, galactomannan test can make the diagnosis in a non-invasive manner. Microscopically, Aspergillus spp. can be reliably demonstrated by silver staining, for example, G stain or GMS stain. These stains give the fungal cell wall a grayish-black color. Aspergillus spp. hyphae are in the range of 2.5 to 4.5 µm in diameter. They have segregating hyphae, but these are not always evident and they can be mistaken for jointed fungi. Aspergillus mycelium tends to have bifurcated branches and then progresses to bifurcate branches, with most of the angle between the bifurcations being 45° . Treatment of turmeric: Several animal studies have tested the effect of curcumin (turmeric) on pulmonary fibrosis, which is caused by radiation, chemotherapeutic drugs and toxicants, and these experiments have shown that curcumin attenuates lung damage. A growing body of data from pharmacological studies and animal studies also supports this concept. Curcumin has a protective effect in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute lung injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and allergic asthma. Curcumin is useful in the prevention or regulation of inflammation and oxidative stress, both. Current treatments include voriconazole and liposomal amphotericin B , and new findings recommend the use of mild oral steroids for pulmonary aspergillosis for a longer period of time, preferably 6-9 months. The use of other drugs, such as amphotericin B, caspofungin (used only in combination therapy) , flucytosine (used only in combination therapy) , or itraconazole, is used to treat this fungal infection. However, progressively more infections are resistant to triazolconazole . Animal infections Although relatively uncommon in humans, Aspergillus infections are common and dangerous in birds, especially in pet parrots. Mallards and other ducks are particularly susceptible to infection because they tend to have poor food during periods of bad weather. Captured raptors, such as falcons and hawks, are susceptible to this disease, especially if they have been kept in poor conditions, especially if they are fed pigeons again, which often carry Aspergillus. Aspergillosis has been the culprit in several recent rapid successive deaths of numerous waterfowl. From December 8 to December 14, 2006, more than 2,000 mallards died in a farming community in Burley, Idaho, about 150 km southeast of Boise. Moldy waste grain from agricultural fields and feedlots in the area is suspected to be the source. In 2005, a similar outbreak of varroa caused by moldy grain killed 500 mallards in Iowa. There is no link between Aspergillus and H5N1 avian influenza (commonly known as “bird flu”), and the rapid succession of deaths caused by Aspergillus can raise concerns about an avian influenza outbreak. Laboratory analysis is the only way to distinguish avian influenza from trichinosis.