Medical Mycology

Abstract

Mycoses are the infectious diseases caused by fungi. Fungi have been divided according to 
their morphology into 3 types: yeasts, molds, and dimorphic fungi. Fungi are everywhere including in the environment, and on humans and animals. Diseases by fungi can be occasioned either directly (mycoses) or indirectly (poisoning and allergy). Mycoses are classified by the level of invasion and degree of infected tissue as superficial, cutaneous, subcutaneous and systemic (deep) mycoses. Besides, some fungi can release the fungal metabolites (secondary products of metabolic processes), called mycotoxins, that are capable of causing disease and death called mycotoxicosis. In addition, fungi may trigger an allergic reaction in some humans and other animals. The pathogenesis of fungal infections depend on 2 main factors, the fungal virulence factor and host immune status, especially, innate immune response cells. At present, there are several diagnostic methods for fungal infection, mostly depending on microbiology techniques such as potassium hydroxide (KOH) direct examination of the lesion, which may be stained with lactophenol cotton blue and Gomori methenamine silver stain etc. The other variety of fungal diagnostic tools has been developed for several fungal infected samples such as fungal cultivation, fungal composition based diagnostic tools (galactomanan, β- D glucans), serodiagnosis and molecular based technique (Polymerase chain reaction, PCR). In the treatment of fungal infections, there are 6 types of antifungal agents that commonly used for fungal infected patients, which are polyene, azoles, pyrimidine analog, echinocandins, allylamine and others. The effectiveness among these groups vary according to their inhibition site. Moreover, the form of medication applied either topical or systemic (oral and injection), has to be considered depending on individual fungal pathogen and disease severity.