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fungal infections
Wednesday 14 April 2004
mycoses, mycosis, fungal diseases, fungal infections
Definition: Fungal infections are called mycoses. Fungi are eukaryotes that grow predominantly by budding (yeasts) or by filamentous extensions called hyphae (molds).
The distinction between yeasts and molds is not absolute and is based on the usual morphology of the organism. Some fungi, such as Candida albicans, tend to grow predominantly as yeast but may also form hyphae.
Dimorphic fungi have both a yeast form (at human body temperature) and a mold form (at room temperature). Some of the fungi that can cause disseminated disease are discussed below. Others are discussed in other chapters, depending on the primary organ involved.
Examples
histoplasmosis (Histoplasma capsulatum )
cryptococcosis (Cryptococcus neoformans )
blastomycosis (Blastomyces dermatidis )
coccidioidomycosis (Coccidioides immitis )
paracoccidioidomycosis (Paracoccidioides brasiliensis )
aspergillosis (Aspergillus sp. Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger )
zygomycosis or mucormycosis (Mucor sp. , Rhizopus sp. )
candidiasis (Candida sp. )
sporotrichosis (Sporothrix schenckii )
torulopsosis (Torulopsis glabrata )
fusariosis (Fusarium sp. )
pseudoallescheriasis (Pseudoallescheria boydii )
adiaspiromycosis (Chrysosporium parvum var crescens )
malasseziasis (Malassezia furfur )
scedosporiosis (Scedosporium apiospermum )
dermatophytoses / dermatophytic infections
According to the localization
systemic fungal infection (disseminated fungal infection )
cutaneous fungal infections
pulmonary fungal infections
splenic fungal infections
renal fungal infections
digestive fungal infections
See also
hyphes / pseudohyphes
invasive fungal infections
- refractory invasive fungal infections
Links
Infections fongiques (fungal infections) (in french) by Pierre Brochu, MD, Université de Montréal, QC
Fungal genomes: Wiki and blog
Infections fongiques (fungal infections) (in french) by Pierre Brochu, MD, Université de Montréal, QC
References
Casadevall A, Pirofski LA. Polysaccharide-containing conjugate vaccines for fungal diseases. Trends Mol Med. 2005 Nov 22; PMID: 16309965
Lupetti A, Nibbering PH, Campa M, Del Tacca M, Danesi R. Molecular targeted treatments for fungal infections: the role of drug combinations. Trends Mol Med. 2003 Jun;9(6):269-76. PMID: 12829016