Certain fungi have the ability to cause diseases in humans, plants and animals.

When looking at plant pathogens it’s important to remember that some parts of the plant are above ground – stems and leaves and other parts are below ground – roots. So, it makes sense that airborne pathogenic fungi infect the stems and leaves and soil borne pathogenic fungi infect plant roots.

Fungal diseases are called mycoses and those affecting humans can be divided into four groups based on the level of penetration into tissues:

1. Superficial mycoses are caused by fungi that grow only on the surface of the skin or hair.  2. Cutaneous mycoses or dermatomycoses include such infections as athlete’s foot and ringworm, in which growth occurs only in the superficial layers of skin, nails, or hair. 3. Subcutaneous mycoses penetrate below the skin to involve the subcutaneous, connective, and bone tissue.  4. Systemic or deep mycoses are able to infect internal organs and become widely disseminated throughout the body.

These are the most severe fungal diseases. An unsuspecting person may inhale the pathogenic fungal spores. Some spores stay in the lungs and grow while others enter the bloodstream, travel around the body and infect other organs. Most fungal infections are due to…read rest of story

If you are or may be experiencing symptoms of a topical fungal infection, you might want to use FungiCure Therapeutic Soap. [Read More...]

• Therapeutic soap washes away fungus and bacteria that can attack healthy skin and nails with regular use
• Relief of itching scaling cracking burning redness soreness
• Use alone or as a soothing foot soak before applying topical anti-fungal medication
• Contains Tea Tree oil

Systemic mycoses occur in two basic forms — respiratory and disseminated tissue. If left untreated, the disseminated form is usually fatal. Surgical removal of large pulmonary lesions have been useful in some cases. Other systemic mycoses include:

Coccidioidomycosis is caused by Coccidioides immitis, a fungus found in desert areas and prevalent in the southwestern US and in some areas of Central and South America. These spores are…read rest of story

Histoplasmosis is caused by the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum, which grows in soil fertilized by bat droppings. It is most prevalent in the Ohio River and Mississippi River valleys, where positive skin tests reveal…read rest of story

Blastomycosis is caused by the fungus Blastomycoses dermatitidis. It grows in soil as a mold producing conidia that infect human by the airborne route. Along with common mild respiratory infections, skin lesions can also appear. The fungus grows as a budding yeast in human tissues.

Cryptococcosis is caused by the yeast Cryptococcus neoformans, normally found in soil and habitats of pigeons. It exists only in the yeast form. Scientists speculate that…read rest of story

note: Mucormycosis refers to the fairly rare diseases produced by a variety of common fungi of the order Mucorales. These, too, are seen only in the severely immuno compromised patient. The fungi penetrate the respiratory or intestinal mucosa and can enter through breaks in the skin as well. Localized lesions may develop, followed by a spreading to the blood, which carry it to all organs. Death often results.

Fungi most commonly associated with specific immunocompromised patients:

1. Candida species, Aspergillus species, Phycomyces species (Leucopenia or bone marrow failure).

2. Candida, Cryptococcus, Coccidioides, Histoplasma (Cellular immunity or tissue transplants).

3. Zygomyces, Rhizopus, Mucor, Absidia (Diabetes).

4. Steroid Therapy – Zygomyces.

5. Candida, Cryptococcus, Histoplasma (malignancies as in leukemia and lymphoma, and Hodgkin’s disease).

6. AIDS …Candida, Cryptococcus, Histoplasma.

Clinically significant fungi and the areas of disease they cause:

• Aspergillus species, Mucor species, Candida species, and Rhizopus species (opportunistic involving various body sites)
• Malassezia furfur and Exophiala werneckii (superficial skin).
• Piedraia hortae and Trichosporon beigelii (hair).
• Sporothrix schenckii, Cladosporium species, Phialophora species, and Fonsecaea species (subcutaneous/lymphatic tissues – chromoblastomycosis).
• Microsporum species, (skin and hair).
• Epidermophyton species (skin and nails).
• Histoplasma capsulatum, Coccidioides immitis, Fusarium species, Penicillium species (systemic respiratory)
• Blastomyces dermatitidis (subcutaneous/respiratory)
• Trichophyton species (skin, hair, and nails).
• Cryptococcus neoformans (respiratory/CNS)

Plant diseases have some very strange names! Such as:

► Blights

► Rusts

► Smuts

► Mildews

Drugs and Medications used to treat Fungal infections:

Note:You must always seek professional medical advice about any prescription drug, OTC drug, medication, treatment or change in treatment plans.

Some of the different medications used in the treatment of Fungal infections include:

• Amphotericin B lipid complex
• Abelcet
• Amphotericin B Liposomal – mainly used in neutropenic patients
• AmBisome – mainly used in neutropenic patients
• Voriconazole – Serious fungal infections
• VFEND – Serious fungal infections

Unlabeled Drugs and Medications to treat Diseases Caused by Fungi infections:

• Flucytosine
• 5-Fluorocytosine
• 5-FC
• Ancobon
• Ancotil
• Novo-triphyl

Latest treatments for Fungal infections:

• Surgical debridement
• Anti-fungals
• Cephalexin
• Dicloxacillin
• Amoxicillin-clavulanate
• Clindamycin
• Erythromycin
• Topical steroids
• Antistaphylococcal treatment

Other related topics of Interest:

• Nail Fungus or getting rid of nail fungus.
• Asian Partnership on Emerging infectious diseases Research (APEIR) The 5th APEIR Regional Meeting. More than 30 partner institutions attended the 5th regional meeting of the Asian Partnership on emerging infectious diseases (APEIR) at the Dianchi Garden Hotel and Spa, Kunming, China.