Welcome to pods mycology site


	MY WOTSIES? Mycology.... - .the study of fungi Medical Mycology - the study of fungi which cause disease in man Mycoses......collective name for fungi which cause disease in man. Out of the thousands of recognised fungi, only around 60 species are known to cause infection in humans (mycoses), which is a tiny number compared to the number that can affect plants! Different diseases can affect different groups of people, in different areas of the world, causing a huge range of symptoms, ranging from rashes, ulcers and abscesses, to lung problems, pneumonia, meningitis, and in the severest cases, death. Fungal diseases are most serious and life threatening in AIDS patients and those with immune dysfunctions. In these cases a mild common fungal infection can lead to death. Some fungi are associated with and transmitted by wild animals, others by contact with other humans many diseases caused be fungi are incidental. Some cause highly virulent infections, others causing mild disease which resolves itself. There are 5 main types of mycoses
(a) Superficial - restricted to outer surfaces of hair and skin
(b) Cutaneous - infection of deeper layers of the skin etc.
(c) Subcutaneous - introduced through skin wounds, fungi are inhabitants of soil
(d) Systemic - usually acquired from inhalation of spores from soil and spreads throughout the body
(e) Opportunistic - fungi which take advantage of an immune compromised host
Classification of disease types caused by fungi can be difficult, many sources of information classify them in different ways - fungi can be divided into the ways they cause disease, or the level of damage they cause to the host, or classified in the groups of fungi from which they belong. The fungi discussed in this site are classified according to the infection they cause, to avoid confusion and try and clarify things.