Invasive Mycoses Research Paper

4. Know the classification of fungal diseases (mycoses). 30% of known fungal species produce mycoses, which are fungal diseases of plants, animals, and humans. Classifications of fungi are; Zygomycota, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota.

In January 1994, the 6.7 Northridge Earthquake in California disturbed the soil and as a result of the magnitude, aftershocks, and subsequent landslides, Coccidioidomycosis fungi became aerosolized and dispersed [5]. 203 cases were identified in Ventura County, but Coccidioidomycosis was not the original diagnosis [5]. Data on Coccidioidomycosis is limited due to varieties in state reporting, testing practices, and misunderstanding of the disease [1]. A general conclusion is that 10-50% of those living in endemic areas have been exposed to some form of the disease and each year, approximately 150,000 new cases will occur in the United States [1]. In 2010, Arizona and California were the two states with the highest incidence of Coccidioidomycosis, with 186 new cases per 100,000 population in Arizona and 11.5 new cases per 100,000 in California [1]. From 2000-2011, there were 25,217 hospitalizations for 15,747 patients in California [3]. Many patients were readmitted because they relapsed at least once after their medication prescription ended. This totaled over $2 billion in hospital bills [3]. Over the years, the highest communities at risk have been men, people over the age of 65, Hispanics, Filipinos, Native Americans, pregnant women, and those with

In the southwest of the United states, coccidioides immitis and C posadasii, fungal pathogens that cause valley fever in humans, have usually been located in hot, dry states like California, Arizona, and Utah, but recently it has also moved to Washington State, which is considered a humid state. This situation shows how climate change is having an effect on this state by making it dryer and allowing these pathogens to habituate and spread here. Furthermore, in Arizona, the annual cases of valley fever increased from 33 to 43/100,000 people between 1998 and 2001 (Benjamin H., 2017). This was due to longer dry seasons caused by climate change, and windier storms that spread fungal spores.

There is a risk of C. gattii in tropical areas and the Pacific Northwest. There are many factors that contribute to this risk. How it is transmitted, environmental causes, locations of infection, and prevention. It is important to understand the risk before traveling so you don’t become infected. To learn more about this risk we will look at areas in which the fungi exists, who’s susceptible, and how to keep from getting sick.

Coccidioidomycosis is typically transmitted by inhalation of certain airborne spores. The infection takes place in widespread areas and is usually attained during the summer or late autumn in the middle of outdoor activities. Individuals who travel through these endemic areas are at a risk of contracting the disease, which may not present itself until the individual has long returned home. Also, the infection can also be attained outside of these widespread areas if an individual comes into contact of contaminated material.

Transverse myelitis is a neurological condition that creates inflammation in the spinal cord, usually within the protective covering around the nerve cell fibers called the myelin. This inflammation can cause injury to the spinal cord itself, and it might affect what a patient feels in areas of the body below the injury. Transverse myelitis may also disrupt the transmission of electrical signals to the spinal nerves, leading to various issues with movement and sensory ability.

Vaginal Thrush is an infection caused by yeast called candida albicans. Candida albicans are among the twenty species of Candida yeast that cause infections in humans. Candida yeasts are usually harmless and typically live around the vaginal area and on the skin; nevertheless an overgrowth can cause symptoms to develop. In most cases vaginal thrush symptoms are obvious, common symptoms include pain, itching and vaginal discharge. Vaginal thrush is a condition that interferes with the sexual function and sense of wellbeing of a woman. Women who have vaginal thrush often experience pain during sexual intercourse or when urinating. Thrush that is symptomatic are categorized as either uncomplicated or complicated. Uncomplicated thrush occurs occasionally and is mild while complicated thrush is recurrent and becomes more severe over time.

Biofilms are a major concern to the public health since they can be highly resistant to antimicrobial agents. They provide a basis for chronic infections such as cystic fibrosis. The bacteria responsible for chronic lung infection in cystic fibrosis patients is Pseuomonas Aeruginosa (P.Aeruginosa) and is the most commonly studied biofilm infection (Høiby, 2017). This causes a major health problem that occurs when a thick mucus causes obstruction of the airway as the aggregation of cells are colonized. As the biofilm infection progresses, this can lead to damage of the lung tissue causing respiratory problems. Since biofilms are associated with opportunistic infections such as P.Aeruginosa, they can be harder to treat due to their tolerance

As Candida becomes multicellular the biofilm which is composed of cellulose are bounded together by lignans with stickiness properties. The biofilm also contains fibrinogen and fibronectin which are the same materials that the body uses to coagulate the blood at wound sites. The form it takes depends on environmental changes and this flexibility makes it highly adaptable. Switching to the hyphae phase which is the long branching filamentous structure of the fungi is based primarily on temperature and pH changes.

The Cocci fungus lies dormant when drought occurs but when it rains it comes back to life (Kreston, 2013). It can be found in the desert soil regions of the Western United States and that includes the southern part of Mexico. Even parts South America - Guatemala, Honduras, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. When given life by water; cocci transform into a fungus called “arthroconidia.” Natural disasters from an earth quake can cause the infectious disease to become airborne from the wind blowing it around. Also, human tampering from digging up dirt can help spread the infection. Kreston noted that, once inhaled, arthroconidia will grow into spherules throughout the lungs and become large daughter cysts that can sometimes rupture. That could

Oral mucositis is one of most debilitating side effects of common cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It affects about 10-40% of patients receiving chemotherapy for solid tumors and up to 100% of those undergoing high dose radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. Oral mucositis is painful and may result in dose reductions, treatment delays, or treatment discontinuation, which in turn can affect the outcome of anticancer therapy. Moreover, extensive oral mucositis may limit adequate nutritional intake and necessitate hospitalization for parenteral nutrition and narcotic analgesics, increasing the cost of anticancer therapy and impairing the patients’ quality of life. Management of oral mucositis generally involves good oral hygiene, systemic analgesics, and preventive

Biofilms are hard to treat for many reasons. The main reason is because they are highly resistant to antibiotics. This is because the outer cells protect the inner cells from the antibiotic. Therefore, a long-term treatment of antibiotics is required to help the biofilm related infection. Living in groups, give bacteria properties they didn't have when living alone. Another reason they're hard to treat is because they are undefeatable by the body's natural immune defense system. Biofilms avoid chemical disinfection in two different ways. The first is that a gel-like polysaccharide layer provides a physical barrier against any outside agent, biological or chemical. The second is that even if a biocidal agent is introduced in a large enough quantity to eliminate the living bacteria, then

Mycoplasma haemofelis is one of multiple forms of eperythrocytic parasites that can be seen in a clinical veterinary setting, as it affects domesticated felines. These parasitic organisms were previously known as Haemobartonella and Eperythrozoon and formerly classified as rickettsial organisms; though recent research has shown these organisms to be more closely related to Mycoplasmatales. Though the reassignment of Eperythrozoon and Haemobartonella to the Mycoplasma genus is still under debate, they are now commonly referred to as hemotropic mycoplasmas or hemoplasmas. Mycoplasmas are categorized by their lack of a cell wall, use of the codon UGA to encode tryptophan, and 16S rRNA gene sequences (Merck Veterinary Manual).

When C. albicans becomes pathogenic, or switches it’s phenotype to the hyphal form to invade the host cell epithelium, be it the mouth or the gut or the vagina; these infections are superficial and can usually be treated with common anti-fungal agents like fluconazole, diflucan, azole-related anti fungal drugs, amphotericin B, fungizone ( I think this is the same as amphotericin B). However in severely immunocompromised individuals like transplant patients or AIDS patients C. albicans can become systemic. That is the fungus will travel through the blood stream and infect any major organ it can. When C. albicans has become systemic it is almost always fatal because of the similarity between the host cells and the fungus, and the lack of a reliable anti fungal drug.

The bacterium evolved by loosing its genes converting it from a free-living microbe into a pathogen. It needs the host’s nutrients in order to survive. The bacterium latches itself onto the host epithelial cells by a 160 kDa type 1 pilli. The pilli, located on a specific organelle on the polar region of the