Medical Microbiology

354 5 GeneralMycology

Table5. 2 OverviewoftheMostImportantMycosesinHumans

Disease Etiology Remarks

Primarymycoses

(donotoccurendemicinEurope)

Coccidioidomycosis Coccidioidesimmitis Pulmonarymycosis.Inhalation

ofspores.SouthwesternUSand

SouthAmerica

Histoplasmosis Histoplasmacapsulatum Pulmonarymycosis.Inhalation

ofspores.Disseminationinto

RES.America,Asia,Africa

NorthAmerican

Blastomycoses

Blastomycesdermatitidis Primarypulmonarymycosis.

Secondarydissemination

(dermal).

NorthAmerica,Africa

SouthAmerican

Blastomycoses

Paracoccidioidesbrasiliensis Primarypulmonarymycosis.

Secondarydissemination

Opportunisticmycoses

Candidiasis(soor) Candidaalbicans,other

Candidasp.

Endogenousinfection.Primary

infectionofmucosaandskin

withsecondarydissemination

Aspergillosis Aspergillusfumigatus

(90%);other

Aspergillussp.

Aspergillosesoftherespiratory

tract,endophthalmitis;aspergil-

losisofCNS;septicaspergillosis

Cryptococcosis Cryptococcusneoformans

(yeast;thickcapsule)

Aerogenicinfection.Pulmonary

cryptococcosis.Secondarydisse-

minationintoCNS

Mucormycoses

(zygomycoses)

Mucorspp.;

Rhizopusspp.;

Absidiaspp.;

Cuninghamellaspp.,

andothers

Rhinocerebral,pulmonary,gas-

trointestinal,cutaneousmucor-

mycosis

Phaeohyphomycoses

(causedby

“dematious”or

“black”fungi)

Over 100 species

discoveredtodate,e.g.,

Curvulariaspp.;Bipolaris

spp.;Alternariaspp.

Melaninintegratedin

cellwall

Subcutaneousinfections,parana-

salsinusinfections,infectionsof

theCNS,sepsisalsopossible

Pneumocystosis Pneumocystiscarinii Defectivecellularimmunity

5

Kayser, Medical Microbiology © 2005 Thieme