INTRODUCTION:

 Mycology is the study of fungi and their unique relationships with other organisms and
the environment. It deals with the genetic and biochemical properties of fungi and their
importance in human lives.
 Fungal infections are also known as mycoses (sing., mycosis).
 Human mycoses are caused by fungi within three fungal categories: yeasts, moulds, and
dimorphic fungi.
HOW DO FUNGI CAUSE DISEASE?

 Unlike bacteria, most fungi do not secrete toxins that cause damage to the host. Rather,
the tissue damage associated with fungal infections results primarily from direct
invasion of tissue, with subsequent displacement and destruction of vital structures,
coupled with toxic effects of the inflammatory response.
 Masses of fungal cells can obstruct bronchi in the lungs and tubules and ureters in the
kidneys, leading to obstruction of the flow of bodily fluids. Certain fungi, such as
Aspergillus and Mucor spp., can grow in the walls of the arteries and veins, leading to
occlusion and tissue necrosis resulting from a lack of oxygen.
CLASSIFICATION OF FUNGAL DISEASE
Fungal infections (mycoses) can be classified into four categories:
1. SUPERFICIAL MYCOSES
Superficial mycoses are fungal infections of the outermost areas of the human body,
including the outer surfaces of hair shafts and the outermost, nonliving layer of the skin (the
epidermis), and are most often diagnosed by clinical appearance.
2. CUTANEOUS, HAIR AND NAIL MYCOSES (DERMATOMYCOSES)
Fungal infections of the living layers of skin (the dermis), hair shafts, and nails—
commonly called tinea infections or ringworm infections—are caused by a group of moulds
collectively referred to as dermatophytes. Tinea infections are named in accordance with the
part of the anatomy infected.
Various types of fungal infections. (A) Tinea pedis (athlete’s foot), (B) tinea corporis
(ringworm of the trunk showing here on the shoulder), (C) tinea capitis (ringworm of the head),
(D) tinea cruris (ringworm of the groin area), and (E) tinea unguium (ringworm of the nails).
TMI:
The term ringworm is used in reference to some of the superficial and cutaneous mycoses,
which, more correctly, are known as tinea infections. Be aware that diseases referred to as
ringworm have absolutely nothing to do with worms. The term most likely arose long before
fungi were known to be the cause of these lesions. Some of the lesions are circular and raised,
prompting speculation that a worm lay coiled beneath the skin surface.
MY NOTES:
Introduction:
Most fungi exist as saprobes (absorbing nutrients from dead organisms) and function as the
major decomposers of organic matter in the environment.
How do fungi cause disease?
Fungal pathogens cause disease by invasion and mechanical destruction of tissues and/or
obstruction of the flow of bodily fluids.
Mycoses are typically acquired via inhalation, trauma, or ingestion; only very infrequently are
fungi spread from person to person.