Parasitology, Microbiology and Infection Control

Fungal Pathogenesis

Fungi are everywhere. They are so widely distributed in our environment that thousands of fungal spores are inhaled or ingested every day. There are approximately 1.5 million different species of fungi on Earth, but only about 300 of those are known to make people sick. Fungal diseases are often caused by fungi that are common in the environment.

Human fungal pathogens belong to four main groups, namely zygomcetes, ascomycetes, deuteromycetes, and basidiomycetes.

Fungal diseases can be broadly classified on the basis of causative agents as:

(a) dermatophytosis (b) histoplasmosis (c) blastomycosis (d) coccidiomycosis (e) candidiasis (f) cryptococcosis (g) aspergillosis (h) hyalohyphomycosis and (i) zygomycosis.