Opportunistic mycoses are fungal infections caused by opportunistic fungi that only affect people with weakened immune system. They do not occur in healthy people. Opportunistic mycoses are fungal infections of the body which occur almost exclusively in debilitated patients whose normal defense mechanisms against infections are impaired. Such patients include those on chemotherapy, cancer patients, […]
OPPORTUNISTIC MYCOSES Read More »
Mycology
Lichens produce two types of metabolites: primary metabolites (e.g. carbohydrates and amino acids) and secondary metabolites (e.g. alkaloids and lichen acids). Primary metabolites (which are intracellularly secreted) are critical to the survival of the lichens while secondary metabolites are rarely involved in the metabolism or growth of the lichenized fungi. Secondary metabolites of lichens are
SPECIFIC FUNCTIONS OF LICHEN ACIDS (SECONDARY METABOLITES) Read More »
Mycology
All microorganisms carry out two modes of metabolism during their lifetime, and these are mainly primary metabolism and secondary metabolism. Primary metabolism is very indispensable to the survival of all microbial cells as it is during this metabolic activity that important compounds (known as primary metabolites) such as nucleic acids, amino acids, vitamins and enzymes
LICHEN METABOLISM Read More »
Mycology
Lichen is simply a symbiotic association of slow-growing microorganisms that is composed mainly of a fungus and cyanobacteria or green algae. They are a composition of twin or double organisms, and are very rich in chemical compounds as expressed by the varying colours that they produce on the surfaces where they form. Lichens grow on
LICHENS AND THEIR BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE Read More »
Mycology
Fungal infection is treated using antifungal drugs. Some of the drugs used for the treatment of mycoses in humans include: PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF FUNGAL INFECTIONS The prevention and control of mycoses is largely dependent on avoiding exposure to fungal spores or conidia and limiting contact with natural reservoirs of most fungal organisms. An intact
TREATMENT & PREVENTION OF FUNGAL INFECTIONS Read More »
Mycology
Mycotoxins are exotoxins produced by fungi. The area of microbiology that studies fungi and the toxins they produce (i.e. mycotoxins) is known as mycotoxicology. The disease condition provoked by the intake of mycotoxins in human or animal hosts is generally known as mycotoxicoses. Mycotoxins are pharmacologically active secondary metabolites produced by toxin-producing fungi in food,
Oral thrush (oral candidiasis) is a localized fungal infection caused by C. albicans in the oral cavity of humans such as the tongue, lips and gums. Oral thrush is a fungal infection of the mouth; and thrush or oral thrush is an infection of the mouth caused by the Candida fungus which is a yeast
ORAL THRUSH (ORAL CANDIDIASIS) Read More »
Mycology
Systemic mycoses are fungal infections that affect deep tissues and organs of the body; and they generally start off as pulmonary infections in affected individuals. They are the most disseminating, deadly and severe forms of mycoses out of all the known fungal mycoses in humans. Systemic mycoses generally involve the internal body organs of humans
Subcutaneous mycoses are fungal infections that affect the subcutaneous tissues below the skin, and the bone and other tissues occasionally. The subcutaneous tissue or layer is the part of the skin that lies beneath the skin and it contain large deposits of fats (e.g. in the buttocks and thigh regions). Apart from affecting the subcutaneous
SUBCUTANEOUS MYCOSES Read More »
Mycology
Cutaneous mycoses are fungal infections of the skin, nails and hairs; and they are mainly caused by dermatophytes. While superficial mycoses involves the outermost layers of the skin; cutaneous mycoses generally affects the epidermis layer of the skin i.e. the layer of the skin that underlies the outer skin surface. Cutaneous mycoses can also be
CUTANEOUS MYCOSES Read More »
Mycology