How can fungi harm people

Fungal infections can be contagious. They can spread from one person to another. In some cases, you can also catch disease-causing fungi from infected animals or contaminated soil or surfaces. A fungal infection is also known as mycosis. Although most fungi are harmless to humans, some of them are capable of causing diseases under specific conditions. Fungi reproduce by releasing spores that can be picked up by direct contact or even inhaled. Fungi can also penetrate your skin, affect your organs, and cause a body-wide systemic infection.

These are called opportunistic infections. The infection is caused by dermatophytes, a group of fungi that can thrive in the warm and humid areas between your toes. You can also catch it from contaminated surfaces, like a public shower or locker room floors. Your skin might also crack, peel, or blister. Shop for antifungal products on Amazon.

Jock itch is also known as tinea cruris. Often, a doctor will be able to recognize jock itch by looking at the affected skin. To help rule out other conditions, like psoriasis, they may take a scraping of skin cells and have them examined.

Jock itch can usually be treated at home by keeping the area clean and dry and applying OTC antifungal cream, powder, or spray. They can prescribe stronger antifungal medications.

Learn how to recognize, treat, and prevent jock itch. Ringworm is a fungal infection that can affect your skin and scalp. Ringworm is also part of a group of fungi that grow on skin, particularly in damp and humid parts of your body. It usually starts as a reddish, itchy, scaly rash. Over time, patches of ringworm can spread and form red rings. A simple skin examination can find ringworm.

The fungus glows under a black light, so your doctor can tell if you have it by shining the black light over the affected area. A small sample of the affected skin can also be scraped off and sent to a lab for testing.

You may need a prescription if your case is more severe or the infection is located on the nails or scalp. Gain a better understanding of ringworm, including ways to prevent and treat it. Candida albicans is a type of fungus that can infect your skin, mouth, gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, or genitals.

But when these fungi multiply too much, they can cause an infection known as a yeast infection. Thrush causes white patches to form in your mouth and throat. People who undergo prolonged antibiotic therapy often develop this type of infection.

To check for oral thrush, your doctor can use a throat swab to rub the affected areas. Throat swabs look like a cotton bud. Your doctor can send the swab to a lab, where technicians will culture it to learn what types of fungi or other microbes are present. Your doctor will perform a pelvic exam to diagnose a vaginal yeast infection. Your treatment options will depend on the type of yeast infection you have and whether or not you get yeast infections regularly. Thrush can be treated with oral antifungal medications.

These can come in the form of lozenges, pills, or mouthwash. Some primary fungal infections are more common in certain geographic areas. Primary fungal infections tend to develop at a slow rate.

In some cases months or years may pass before a person seeks medical attention. For most people with a normal immune system, the fungal infections do not spread to organs deep in the body. Paracoccidioidomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, and histoplasmosis are examples of primary fungal infections. Localized fungal infections affect only one area of the body.

When normal balances that are responsible for keeping fungi in check are upset, localized fungal infections can occur. Some kinds of antibiotics kill harmful bacteria but they can also kill also helpful bacteria. As a result, fungal growth can remain unchecked. In time, the resulting overgrowth can cause symptoms, but they are typically mild.

In most cases as soon as the bacteria begins to grow back, the balance is restored and the problem usually resolves. Localized fungal infections usually involve areas such as the skin and nails, vagina, mouth or sinuses. People who live or work in damp places where mold is present have a higher chance of developing respiratory diseases, skin irritation, and other health problems.

There may also be a higher risk of cancer. A fungal infection can affect any person, even those who are relatively healthy. People come in contact with fungi on a daily basis. They are constantly breathing in fungal spores each day without getting sick. A person with a weakened immune system is more likely to develop a fungal infection. Some people are born with a weak immune system. Another common type is candida, which is responsible for thrush. Thrush is a common fungal infection of the mouth and vagina.

Fungal infections of the skin, nails, and vagina are common, but they are not usually serious, and they do not spread deeper into the body. Fungal infections in healthy people with a normal immune system do not normally affect the internal organs.

Internal fungal infections of the heart, lungs, brain and other organs sometimes occur. These can be life threatening. These may come in the form of creams, sprays, solutions, tablets, shampoos, oral medications, or injections. Most kill the infection by damaging the wall of the fungus, causing the fungal cell to die. Several drugs are available that are effective against fungal infections, but the structure and chemical makeup of some fungi can make them difficult to kill. Antiviral drugs are applied directly to the fungal infection on the skin or another surface.

Antiviral drugs can be administered by mouth or, for serious infections, injected. Serious fungal infections may require several months of treatment. Common drugs for serious fungal infections include fluconazole, anidulafungin, and micafungin.

Each is used to treat a different type of infection. They may cause adverse side effects, so they should always be administered by a doctor. Types of Fungal Diseases. Minus Related Pages. Most common fungal diseases Fungal nail infections. Vaginal candidiasis. Candida infections of the mouth, throat, and esophagus. Cryptococcus gattii infection. Coccidioidomycosis Valley Fever. Candida auris infection.

Invasive candidiasis. Pneumocystis pneumonia PCP.