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).

 

 

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
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&AspergillosisMycology 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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