ABOUT THE DISEASE

Aspergillosis

Aspergillosis is infection, usually of the lungs, caused by the fungus Aspergillus.

A ball of fungus fibers, blood clots, and white blood cells may form in the lungs or sinuses. People may have no symptoms or may cough up blood or have a fever, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. If fungi spread to the liver or kidneys, these organs may malfunction. Diagnosis usually involves an x-ray or computed tomography and, if possible, culture of a sample of infected material. Antifungal drugs are used, and sometimes surgery is needed to remove the fungal balls.

Coccidioidomycosis

Coccidioidomycosis is a pulmonary or hematogenously spread disseminated disease caused by the fungi Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii; it usually occurs as an acute benign asymptomatic or self-limited respiratory infection. The organism occasionally disseminates to cause focal lesions in other tissues. Symptoms, if present, are those of lower respiratory infection or low-grade nonspecific disseminated disease. Diagnosis is suspected based on clinical and epidemiologic characteristics and confirmed by chest x-ray, culture, and serologic testing. Treatment, if needed, is usually with fluconazole, itraconazole, newer triazoles, or amphotericin B.

Cryptococcosis (torulosis)

Cryptococcosis is a pulmonary or disseminated infection acquired by inhalation of soil contaminated with the encapsulated yeast Cryptococcus neoformans or C. gattii. Symptoms are those of pneumonia, meningitis, or involvement of skin, bones, or viscera. Diagnosis is clinical and microscopic, confirmed by culture or fixed-tissue staining. Treatment, when necessary, is with azoles or amphotericin B, with or without flucytosine.

Disseminated candidiasis

Candidiasis is infection by Candida species (most often C. albicans), manifested by mucocutaneous lesions, fungemia, and sometimes focal infection of multiple sites. Symptoms depend on the site of infection and include dysphagia, skin and mucosal lesions, blindness, vaginal symptoms (itching, burning, discharge), fever, shock, oliguria, renal shutdown, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Diagnosis is confirmed by histopathology and cultures from normally sterile sites. Treatment is with amphotericin B, fluconazole, echinocandins, voriconazole, or posaconazole.

 Histoplasmosis

Histoplasmosis is a pulmonary and hematogenous disease caused by Histoplasma capsulatum; it is often chronic and usually follows an asymptomatic primary infection. Symptoms are those of pneumonia or of nonspecific chronic illness. Diagnosis is by identification of the organism in sputum or tissue or use of specific serum and urine antigen tests. Treatment, when necessary, is with amphotericin B or an azole.

South American leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that is found in parts of the tropics, subtropics, and southern Europe. Leishmaniasis is caused by infection with Leishmania parasites, which are spread by the bite of infected sand flies. There are several different forms of leishmaniasis in people. The most common forms are cutaneous leishmaniasis, which causes skin sores, and visceral leishmaniasis, which affects several internal organs (usually spleen, liver, and bone marrow).

North and South American blastomycosis

Blastomycosis, infection of the skin and viscera caused by fungal organisms of the genus Blastomyces. There are two major types of blastomycosis: the North American, caused by B. dermatitidis, and the South American, caused by B. brasiliensis. In North American blastomycosis, skin and lung lesions are most common: pulmonary lesions vary in size from granulomatous nodules to confluent, diffuse areas of pus-forming inflammation involving the entire lobe of the lung. In the skin, micro-abscesses lie just beneath the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin, and are associated with a granulomatous appearance of the surrounding skin.

In South American blastomycosis, the portal of entry is usually the nasopharynx (the part of the alimentary canal between the cavity of the mouth and the esophagus that is continuous with the nasal passages); swelling and ulceration of the mouth or nose may cause the infection to spread to the nearby lymph nodes; primary lesions may also occur in the lymphoid tissues in the lower abdomen. In both North and South American varieties, the infection may spread not only to the lymph nodes but also to such organs as the brain, bones, liver, spleen, and adrenals.

Mucormycosis (phycomycosis)         

Mucormycosis (also called zygomycosis) is a rare infection caused by organisms that belong to a group of fungi called Mucoromycotina. At one time these fungi were called Zygomycota, but this scientific name has recently been changed. These fungi are typically found in the soil and in association with decaying organic matter, such as leaves, compost piles or rotten wood. Mucormycosis needs to be treated with antifungal medication prescribed by a health care provider. These medications are given by mouth or through a vein. Skin infections with the fungus may require surgery to cut away the infected tissue.