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fungal infections AND etiology

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CDC fungal diseases causes risk factors immunocompromised

Fungal infections

Fungal infections, also called mycoses, are diseases caused by fungi that colonize or invade the human body.
They may affect:
  • Superficial tissues: skin, hair, nails, and mucous membranes
    • Examples: tinea/ringworm, oral thrush, vaginal candidiasis
  • Deep organs or the bloodstream: lungs, blood, brain/central nervous system, etc.
    • These are called systemic or invasive fungal infections.
The severity ranges from localized, mild infections to severe, life-threatening disease. Severe invasive infections occur particularly in people with weakened immunity. The CDC risk-factor overview similarly notes that immune suppression, serious illness, surgery, and invasive devices increase risk.

Etiology / pathophysiology

Fungal infection occurs when fungi are able to colonize the body or invade host tissues. It can develop through four main routes:
  1. Inhalation of fungal spores
    Spores from the environment are breathed into the lungs. This may cause pulmonary infection and, in susceptible patients, spread to other organs.
    • Examples: Aspergillus, Histoplasma, Cryptococcus.
  2. Direct contact
    Fungi can spread through contact with an infected person, animal, soil, or contaminated objects such as towels, clothing, and combs.
    • Common with dermatophyte infections of skin, hair, and nails, for example tinea.
  3. Inoculation through damaged skin or mucosa
    Fungi may enter through cuts, burns, wounds, trauma, surgery, or disrupted mucosal surfaces.
  4. Overgrowth of normal flora
    Some fungi, especially Candida, can normally live on skin, in the mouth, gastrointestinal tract, and vagina without causing disease. When normal balance is disturbed, Candida can multiply excessively and produce infection.

Factors that increase the risk

The screenshot lists the following predisposing factors:
  • Immunosuppression, such as HIV infection, chemotherapy, or immunosuppressive drugs
  • Diabetes mellitus
  • Prolonged broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy
    Antibiotics reduce normal bacterial flora, allowing Candida to overgrow.
  • Corticosteroid use
  • Malignancy
  • Organ or stem-cell transplantation
  • Invasive devices, such as intravenous catheters, urinary catheters, ventilators, or feeding tubes
  • Breakdown of skin or mucosal barriers, including wounds, burns, surgery, and severe mucositis
In immunocompromised people, fungi can invade blood vessels or enter the bloodstream, then disseminate to organs such as the lungs, kidneys, brain, and eyes. This produces invasive fungal disease, which can be life-threatening. Recent evidence also identifies hematologic malignancy and hematopoietic-cell transplantation as high-risk settings for invasive fungal infections (2025 systematic review).
In short: fungal infection develops when a fungus enters the body, overgrows normal flora, or gains access through damaged barriers, and the host’s normal defenses are inadequate to control it.
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