Factsheets

Each type of fungus can typically cause a spectrum of conditions depending on the patient’s immune status and the part of the body affected. For a detailed explanation of the different types of aspergillosis please see the Aspergillus & Aspergillosis website.

Many disease-causing fungi live in rotting matter in the environment (especially leaves/guano), or as a harmless part of the body’s natural flora and only cause infections in immunocompromised patients or when traumatically implanted (i.e. they are opportunistic pathogens).

• Click to watch a LIFE Worldwide lecture on the global burden of fungal diseases.

Fungal infections & allergies

	Candidaemia, Candida peritonitis and invasive candidiasis Cryptococcal meningitis Pneumocystis pneumonia Invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis Invasive fungal rhinosinusitis Disseminated histoplasmosis Acute pulmonary histoplasmosis Talaromycosis
	Sinuses: fungal ball and chronic granulomatous FRS Eyes: keratitis and endophthalmitis Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) Chronic cavitary pulmonary histoplasmosis Adrenal histoplasmosis Endemic mycoses: Coccidioidomycosis, Paracoccidioidomycosis and Blastomycosis Mycetoma
	Oral Oesophageal Vaginitis Balanitis (penis)
	Occupational lung disease ABPA SAFS and fungal asthma Thunderstorm asthma Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis
	Tinea Onychomycosis (nails) Otomycosis (ears) Implantation mycoses

Disease-causing fungi

Over 600 species of fungi have been linked with disease, but fewer than 30 species cause over 99% of infections. While many species of fungi are able to cause disease in humans, few of them are true pathogens – most are opportunistic and grow only rarely, in severely immunocompromised patients. Implantation mycoses can be caused by many different species of fungi.

Some species can exist in either a yeast or a filamentous form and are therefore called ‘dimorphic’ (e.g. Histoplasma). Some have atypical forms, for example Pneumocystis can form so-called cysts and trophozoites (named after parasite life forms). For additional species or details please visit Aspergillus&Aspergillosis, Mycology online or Doctor Fungus. For more information about emerging fungal pathogens please see Friedman & Schwartz (2019). You can also access a wealth of information via the Fungus Education Hub.

Candida Candida auris Cryptococcus Rhodotorula Malassezia	Talaromyces Blastomyces Coccidioides Histoplasma Paracoccidioides Pneumocystis	Aspergillus Fusarium Trichophyton Alternaria Cladosphialophora Apophysomyces Fonsecaea

Characteristic appearance of key fungi

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