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Although they are not always visible by naked eye, fungi are everywhere.
They can cause many types of illnesses, including:
Asthma, allergies, rashes, infections on the skin and nails, lung infections, bloodstream infections, and meningitis
Everyone can be infected with fungi; however, when the immune system is weakened, the probabilities increase dramatically. For example, people living with HIV, cancer patients, organ transplant patients, and hospitalized patients are more susceptible to these infections. We can be infected by either breathing in or ingesting spores, and when in contact with spores, they can enter your body through skin lesions.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are some of the main and deadliest fungi:
Cryptococcus neoformans
Cryptococcus neoformans infects mainly the lungs, brain, and spinal cord.
In the lungs, it can cause a pneumonia-like illness, with a common symptom being coughing. Cryptococcal meningitis is caused by spreading from the lungs, and the most common symptoms include headache, fever, and neck pain.
152,000 cases of cryptococcal meningitis occur among people with HIV/AIDS worldwide each year
Aspergillus fumigatus
Aspergillus fumigatus can cause different types of aspergillosis, mainly infections in the respiratory system. Allergic forms of aspergillosis include allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), whose symptoms are similar to asthma, and allergic sinusitis. Usually, these are not life-threatening. For more severe infections such as aspergilloma "fungus ball", and chronic and invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, common symptoms are cough (with or without blood), shortness of breath, and fever. Additionally to drugs, and regarding aspergilloma, treatment might include surgery.
Candida auris
Candida auris is a multi-drug-resistant type of yeast known for causing severe illness and spreading easily among patients requiring medical care. It can cause infections in different parts of the body, such as the bloodstream, open wounds, and ears. Thus, there are no established common symptoms for this infection.
Patients infected with this yeast are usually already ill, and it becomes harder to evaluate how much this infection contributes to their medical condition and even death.
Candida albicans
Candida albicans can be found in our natural flora, in the GI tract, the mouth, and the vagina. When its growth is excessive, it can cause infections.
The most common types of Candida albicans infections are urinary, genital, oral, and mucocutaneous candidiasis.
Candida albicans is responsible for 24-46% of fungal endocarditis cases
Team Let's Biologue
References
CDC. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/index.htm
Cryptococcus neoformans using a light India ink staining preparation PHIL 3771 lores.jpg. Wikimedia.org. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cryptococcus_neoformans_using_a_light_India_ink_staining_preparation_PHIL_3771_lores.jpg
E-Santé, L. R. (2018, september 29). Mycose à Candida albicans : que faire ? E-Santé. https://www.e-sante.fr/mycose-a-candida-albicans-que-faire/actualite/616182
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