The Infection Of Mucor

Pneumonia is an acute infection of the lungs, it can be caused by a variety of organisms entering the body – including bacteria, viruses or fungi. The infection causes an inflammation of the alveoli (air sacs) of the lungs and may result in the alveoli filling with fluid or other purulent material (Mayo Clinic, 2016). An accumulation of fluid within alveoli and portions of the lungs, can reduce the ability of the lungs to allow for oxygen diffusion across the alveoli walls. If oxygen saturation is low, it can cause the body’s cells to not work effectively. Therefore, the risk of the infection spreading through the body is increased – it is due to this reason, that pneumonia can be life-threatening (American Lung Foundation, 2016). Pneumonia

5. Know economic effects of fungi. Fungi produce gallic acid, which is used in photographic developers, dyes, indelible ink, as well as in the production of artificial flavoring, perfumes, chlorine, alcohols, and several acids. Fungi are also used to make plastics, toothpaste, soap, and in the silvering of mirrors. In Japan almost 500,000 metric tons of fungus-fermented soybean curd (tofu and miso) are consumed annually. Different strains of the rust fungus Puccinia graminis cause billions of dollars of damage annually to food and timber crops throughout the world.

se that is endemic to the southwest United States (California, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Nevada, and New Mexico), Mexico, Central America, and South America [1]. Disease infection results from inhaling the spores from soil fungus Coccidioides immitis or Coccidioides posadasii [1]. The two fungi are located in separate regional locations, however, studies have shown that they are relatively identical and manifest the disease in the same way. Calling home in arid, desert areas, Coccidioidomycosis spores are found in lower elevations, 4 inches or more under sandy soil. They are endemic in areas with less than 20 inches of rain per year [1]. The most common opportunity to become infected is when the soil is disrupted by construction, entertainment

The thick and sticky mucus related to cystic fibrosis obstructs the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. This can bring about signs and symptoms, for example; a relentless coughs that

Cryptococcus gattii is a fungus that lives in the soil associated with certain trees and causes the infection C. gattii Cryptococcus’s. In mild climates, the fungus survives in soil and grows in tree bark. Douglas-firs carry the fungus. The fungus occurs in the top 15cm of the soil, on trees, wood chips, mulch, and other natural “reservoirs.” Fungus spores are aerosolized through soil disturbance. (https://www.emlab.com/s/sampling/env-report-03-2012.html) The microscopic fungus C. gattii can infect people after breathing it in from the environment. Cryptococcus’s affects the lungs or the central nervous system; mainly the brain and spinal cord. When the brain is infected they call it cryptococcal meningitis. Both humans and animals can become infected after inhaling airborne, dried yeast cells or spores from the

Cystic fibrosis, an inherited disease of the secretory glands that affects the liver, pancreas, intestines, lungs, sinuses, and sex organs, affects about 30,000 Americans with 1,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Normal mucus is a watery, slick substance made by the tissues that keeps the inside of organs moist, preventing infection. People with cystic fibrosis have thick and sticky mucus that builds up in their lungs, blocking the airways. This buildup can cause serious lung diseases from bacteria growth that damages the lungs. This damage to the lungs can cause severe breathing problems which can lead to respiratory failure. Respiratory failure is the most common cause of death in people with cystic fibrosis. The thick and sticky mucus also can block the tubes that carry important enzymes from the pancreas to the small intestines that are needed to break down food and for your body to absorb the nutrients essential for one’s health.

In the respiratory system, the mucus causes breathing difficulties, frequent respiratory infections and eventually permanent lung damage. The mucus builds up providing bacteria with a place to flourish. The most common infection comes from a bacterium called Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The body's response to P. aeruginosa includes inflammation, which causes episodes of intense breathing problems (Pseudomonas Genome Project, 1998). Normally the body will get rid of excess mucus by coughing before it's a problem but with the thick mucus involved in CF the body has a harder time to get rid of the thicker mucus. Lung disease is the usual cause of death in most patients (National Institutes of Health, 1995). In the digestive system, mucus can block the supply of enzymes used to break down food. The result of the blockage of such enzymes is malnutrition. The patient will have an excessive appetite but will not experience any weight gain. What is also evident is a failure to grow, CF was often misdiagnosed vaguely as "failure to thrive" when physicians didn't know the reason for this poor growth. Sweating is also a problem in people with CF. One of the basic defects in CF is the faulty transport of sodium and chloride (salt). People with CF lose excessive amounts of salt when they sweat. This causes the natural balance of salt in the body to be off balance, which may cause abnormal heart rhythms (National Institutes of Health, 1995).

"Mucor is a fungal genus within the Zygomycetes class of fungi that contains an estimated 40 species. It is commonly found in soil, digestive systems, plants surface and rotten vegetable matter " ("Wise Geek", n.d). According to Henderson (2016), "Fungi can cause lung disease through direct infection of pulmonary tissue, through infection of pulmonary air spaces/lung cavities, or through their ability to trigger an immunological reaction when the fungal material is inhaled." (p. 1). "People suffering from diabetes, extensive burns, immunosuppression symptoms associated with AIDS and other afflictions, or those who are intravenous drug users, appear to be most susceptible to Mucor infections" ("Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories", n.d.). The common symptoms of pneumonia are fever, cough, shortness of breathing. Thus, except monitoring vital sign, provide the cool environment, ice packing or antipyretics can help reduce the fever. Due to the lung condition of the patient, appropriate oxygen treatment can relieve shortness of breathing and prevent the patient from hypoxia.

pneumoniae and there chemotactic signals and the host cell’s alternate pathway, invade the alveoli. Also red blood cells are recruited to this site. In the third stage, mostly neutrophils are packed into the alveoli and very few bacteria remain. In the final stage, macrophages eliminate the remaining residue from the inflammatory response. As one can see, the damage which is done to the lung is largely a result of the host’s inflammatory response, which causes the build up of fluids in the lungs. If S. pneumoniae is allowed to persist in the lungs it can then invade the blood, which causes bacteremia. When in the blood it can traverse the blood-brain barrier and infect the meninges, which results in meningitis. S. pneumoniae is also associated with diseases in other parts of the respiratory tract including the paranasal sinuses, which is better known as sinusitis, and the middle ear can become infected, which is known as otitis media. It has also been known to cause peritonitis, an inflammation of the peritoneum, the membrane that lines the abdominal wall, and it is also implicated in causing arthritis.

Since we know that predisposing factors for mucormycosis include HIV/AIDS, diabetes mellitus, cancers such as lymphomas, kidney failure, organ transplant, long term corticosteroid and immunosuppressive therapy, it means that with all the knowledge we have about the disease we should be able to provide a very convincing preventive education to these people. But, we should not ignore that everyone needs to be educated from patients who are immunocompromised to health people because there have been cases of mucormycosis reported with no apparent predisposing factors

In September of 2012, an outbreak of fungal meningitis was detected in Tennessee. This outbreak was linked to environmental contamination of three lots of methylprednisolone acetate injections (MPA) from one supplier, the New England Compounding Center (NECC). Most clinical cases were identified as Exserohilum rostratum. The index case was infected with Aspergillus fumigatus and twenty-two other fungal species were identified (CDC, 2015). There were 753 total cases and 64 deaths across 20 states. Patients developed meningitis, infection, and stroke.

Eumycetoma is a human fungal disease. Eumycetoma is a derivative of a mycetoma, which was formerly called Madura foot for its prominence in mainly infecting the feet. There are some cases where the disease could infect other parts of the body, but those cases are much more rare. A mycetoma is an infection that affects the skin or cutaneous tissue as well as the subcutaneous tissues. It is often a chronic infection that produces putrid, nodular sinuses. Causative agents of mycetomas could either be bacterial or fungal, the former is a eumycetoma and the latter is an actinomycetoma. The mycetoma usually begins as a small lesion and over time will spread into a mature infection, which forms granules and produces seropurulent discharge in assemblies

Histoplasmosis capsulatum is a fungus that is common in tropical and sub-tropical areas all over the globe, specifically North and Central America, eastern and southern Europe, and parts of Africa, eastern Asia, and Australia (Fayyaz). It thrives in confined humid spaces such as caves or mines and manifests in bat guano and bird droppings. Histoplasma capsulatum is a dimorphic fungus, one species is hazardous to humans and the other, Histoplasma capsulatum var. farciminosum. Histoplasmosis is the infection that develops once the fungus enters a human host. After the fungus enters the lungs it changes, becoming a parasitic yeast (Taylor). While not extremely dangerous, humans commonly get infected with Histoplasmosis by inhaling the airborne

The Meningococcal infection is a potentially life-threatening bacterial disease that continues to be fatal in numerous parts of the world. Since the inception of the first Meningococcal cases in the early 19th century, rates continue to fluctuate today. Of particular note, the World Health Organisation has outlined that there are over 26 countries in the sub-Saharan region alone that are overwhelmingly prone to the infection (WHO, 2015). Despite this, Meningococcal has not been restricted to the sub-Saharan; current estimates determine that 1.2 million cases arise globally every year. This is primarily due to the fact that the bacterium which causes the Meningococcal disease, the Neisseria Meningitidis, is a carrier bacterium which can be found

M. pneumoniae is generally referred to as primary atypical or walking pneumonia because the symptoms are not as sever as pneumonia. The symptoms include a dry hacking cough, fever, and headache. The symptoms will last for about 2 to 3 weeks. M. pneumoniae affects people worldwide. Typically only 33 % of people who have M. pneumoniae will get atypical pneumonia. The majority, 77 %, will come down with an upper tract infection (tracheaobronchitis). (Pulmonary Disorders pg 609) M. pneumoniae is transmitted through aerosol droplets. The bacterium is capable of infecting anyone at any time but it has a pattern of coming in the fall and winter and causing an outbreak every 4 to 8 years, although more tight communities occur more frequently. The pathogen rarely occurs on children less than 4 years of age. Since the bacterium lacks a cell wall, B-lactums are futile against them. The body’s immune system is responsible for killing the pathogen. There were 2 million cases in the US with 100,000 requiring hospitalization. The mortality rate is very low with only occasional fatalities among the elderly and sickle cell anemia persons. ( ).