Last week, WHO released a list of fungus can cause dangerous diseases.
World Health Organization has released a list of more than a dozen fungus that can cause diseases that are dangerous to public health. The World Health Organization has named 19 priority pathogens that are rapidly spreading and becoming drug-resistant. Fungus include yeast and mold.
Fungal infections kill 17 million people every year and over 15 million patients develop serious infections, but these infections are more common in hospitals and in people with weakened immune systems become fatal.
Candidiasis
Yeasts called Candida are present in the intestinal tract, mucous membranes, and skin. If these yeasts proliferate too much, symptoms may appear. Oropharyngeal candidiasis, or “thrush,” is the term for candidiasis that appears in the mouth or throat.
Usually referred to as a “yeast infection,” vaginal candidiasis can become invasive when these fungi overgrow in individuals who meet specific risk factors. Invasive candidiasis is a dangerous illness that can harm the blood, heart, brain, eyes, bones, and other regions of the body.
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The most prevalent type of invasive candidiasis, known as candidemia, is a bloodstream infection caused by the Candida albicans that often affects hospitalized patients.
More than 20 different species of Candida yeasts can infect humans, although the most common ones are caused by Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida tropicalis.
A recently discovered fungus species called Candida auris is challenging to identify and frequently resistant to several antifungal medications.
Aspergillosis
Aspergillus is a form of fungus that is commonly found both indoors and outdoors. Every day, people inhale a lot of Aspergillus spores without getting sick. However, Aspergillus-related health issues are more likely to affect those with compromised immune systems or lung conditions.
Aspergillosis comes in a variety of forms, from mild to extremely dangerous. Aspergillus, for instance, can inflame the sinuses (allergic Aspergillus sinusitis) or lungs (allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis) without creating an infection.
A widespread, dangerous infection of the lung or other body systems, invasive aspergillosis is a leading cause of death for people with impaired immune systems.
Histoplasmosis
The fungus Histoplasma capsulatum is the cause of histoplasmosis. This fungus grows in soil that has been exposed to a lot of bat or bird droppings. While histoplasma is a global species, in the United States it is primarily found in the central and eastern states, especially in the valleys of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.
Inhaling minute fungal spores can cause infections in humans, especially when contaminated soil is disturbed. The illness typically resolves on its own in healthy individuals and is marked by moderate flu-like symptoms.
Histoplasmosis can be severe in those with compromised immune systems, necessitating long-term antifungal therapy to treat the illness.
Pneumocystis pneumonia
The fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii is the cause of Pneumocystis pneumonia, or PCP. People come into contact with the fungus through the air. Although PCP is extremely rare in healthy individuals, the fungus that causes the illness can remain in their lungs unnoticed.
The people most at risk for significant PCP infections that need to be treated are those with compromised immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS, cancer patients, and people with inflammatory or autoimmune disorders taking specific medicines that compromise the immune system.
Blastomycosis
The fungus Blastomyces dermatitidis is the source of the infection known as blastomycosis. This fungus grows in damp soil and on decaying materials like leaves and wood.
Blastomyces is found in the United States in the regions around the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys, as well as the Great Lakes, and in Canada, especially in the Saint Lawrence River basin.
The primary way that the fungus infects people is by the inhalation of fungal spores. While most people who breathe in the fungal spores do not get sick, others may experienc symptoms similar to the flu.
Blastomyces can cause deadly infections that spread from the lungs to other body systems, including the skin, bones, and central nervous system, in people with compromised immune systems.
Coccidioidomycosis
Fungi Coccidioides immitis and C. posadasii are the cause of Coccidioidomycosis, popularly known as Valley Fever. In the southwestern United States (mostly Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah), Mexico, Central America, and South America, these soil-dwelling fungi thrive in dry, desert-like environments.
The fungus were discovered in south central Washington recently. Unlike most major fungal diseases, Coccidioides infection is usually caused by breathing spores into the lungs. Interestingly, healthy individuals can become infected with Coccidioides.
The states of Arizona and California have had the highest infection rates in the US. In 2016, these states recorded over 11,000 cases of Valley Fever. According to estimates, 15–30% of community-acquired pneumonia cases are related to Valley Fever.
On the other hand, Valley Fever may go unreported because of poor testing rates. Valley fever can vary in severity from a mild, self-limiting flu-like illness to a serious, widely distributed infection that may need lifetime treatment.
Cryptococcosis
Worldwide, soil contains fungus called cryptococcus, which are frequently connected to bird droppings. Disease-causing organisms are mostly Cryptococcus neoformans and C.
Infections from these fungus are uncommon in healthy people, but they can pose a major threat to persons with weakened immune systems, such as those living with HIV/AIDS. The fungus usually becomes infected when someone breaths it in.
The neurological system and lungs are the most often infected areas. The most frequent form of meningitis in adults in sub-Saharan Africa is cryptococcal meningitis, which also happens to be a major cause of death for HIV/AIDS patients.
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