Fungal Disease

• Types of Mycosis

  • Systemic mycoses
  • Subcutaneous mycoses
  • Cutaneous mycoses
  • Superficial mycoses
  • Opportunistic mycoses
• Systemic mycoses


  • Fungal infections deep within the body that affect many tissues and organs
  • Not restricted to any particular region of the body but can affect a number of tissues and organs
  • Caused by fungi that live in the soil
  • Inhalation of spores is the route of transmission
  • Infections begin in the lungs and then spread to other body tissues
  • Not contagious from animal to human or from human to human
• Subcutaneous mycoses


  • Fungal infections beneath the skin
  • Caused by saprophytic fungi that live in soil and on vegetation
  • Infection occurs by direct implantation of spores or mycelial fragments into a puncture wound in the skin
• Cutaneous mycoses


  • Fungi that infect the epidermis, hair and nails (dermatophytes)
  • Infection is called dermatomycoses or cutaneous mycoses
  • Secretes keratinase, an enzyme that degrades keratin
  • Transmitted from human to human or from animal to human by direct contact or by contact with infected hairs and epidermal cells
• Superficial mycoses


  • Localized along hair shafts and in superficial (surface) epidermal cells
• Opportunistic mycoses


  • Generally harmless in its normal habitat but can become pathogenic in its host who is seriously debilitated, under treatment with a wide spectrum of antibiotics, whose immune system is suppressed by drugs or by immune disorder or who has a lung disease
• Athlete's Foot (Tinea pedis)


  • Fungus that causes it is Trichophyton, commonly found on floors and in clothing
  • Requires a warm and moist environment to infect the skin
  • Forms a mycelium directly within the outer layers of the skin, producing a red, inflamed sore from which the spores can easily spread
• Ringworm (Tinea capitis)


  • Infects the skin of the scalp, producing red scaling sore
  • Can be passed from person to person by the exchange of hats, combs, and athletic headgear
  • In severe cases, a kerion (a swollen mass discharging pus) will appear on the scalp, which may become infected further with Staphylococci bacteria
• Candidiasis


  • Caused by Candida albicans
  • Infects moist regions of the body such as the mouth and the urinary tract
  • Symptoms include itching, soreness, irritation, vaginal discharge, pain during intercourse and urination, and inflammation of the vagina/vulva
• Jock itch (Tinea cruris)


  • Infects the non-hairy skin of the body
  • Appears as a rash with patches that may be red or peeling or have bumps on the edges that look like blisters
  • Skin is often itchy, and the rash can spread quickly
  • Fungi grow best in steamy rooms among damp towels, sweaty workout clothes, and wet floors
• Tinea barbae


  • Infection of the beard and mustache areas of the face with a dermatophyte fungus
  • Most often affects farmers due to direct contact with an infected animal
  • Rarely passed from one person to another
  • Usually very inflamed with red lumpy areas, pustules and crusting around the hairs (kerion), but not excessively itchy or painful
• Pityriasis versicolor/Tinea versicolor


  • Fungal infection of the skin caused by a type of yeast that naturally lives on the skin
  • Yeast grows out of control, causing the skin disease which appears as a rash
  • More likely to affect teens and young adults
  • Acidic bleach from the growing yeast causes areas of skin to be a different color than the skin around them
• Tinea unguium


  Infects the toenails
• Tinea manuum


  Infects the fingernails
• Onychomycosis


  • Most difficult of the superficial fungal infections to treat because the nail plate is not penetrated by (most) topically applied agents
  • Systemic antifungal agents such as itraconazole and terbinafine appear effective in the treatment
• Pneumocystis


  Fungal infection of individuals with compromised immune systems, most common life-threatening infection in AIDS patients
• Stachybotrys


  Toxic spores can cause fatal pulmonary hemorrhage in infants
• Mucor mycosis


  • Caused by mucor and rhizopus
  • Infection occurs in patients with diabetes, leukemia, or undergoing treatment with immunosuppressive drugs
• Aspergillosis


  Caused by inhalation of aspergillus spores