Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Nov;131(5):2095-2113.
doi: 10.1111/jam.15032. Epub 2021 Feb 22.

A global view on fungal infections in humans and animals: opportunistic infections and microsporidioses

S Gnat  1 , D Łagowski  1 , A Nowakiewicz  1 , M Dyląg  2
Affiliations
Review

A global view on fungal infections in humans and animals: opportunistic infections and microsporidioses

S Gnat et al. J Appl Microbiol. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

After cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases are the second most common cause of death worldwide. Although these infections are caused mainly by viruses or bacteria, a systematically growing prevalence of human and animal opportunistic fungal infections is noticeable worldwide. More attention is being paid to this problem, especially due to the growing frequency of recalcitrant and recurrent mycoses. The latter are classically divided into superficial, which are the most common type, subcutaneous, and systemic. This work discusses opportunistic fungal pathogens without proven horizontal transmission between different animal species including humans and microsporidia as spore-forming unicellular parasites related to fungi; however, with a yet undetermined taxonomic position. The review also mentions aetiological agents, risk factors, epidemiology, geographical distribution, and finally symptoms characteristic for individual disease entities. This paper provides insight into fungal infections from a global perspective and simultaneously draws attention to emerging pathogens, whose prevalence is continuously increasing. Finally, this work also takes into consideration the correct nomenclature of fungal disease entities and the importance of secondary metabolites in the pathogenesis of fungal infections.

Keywords: epidemiology; fungal infections; geographical distribution; microsporidia; opportunistic fungi; risk factors.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Abdo, W., Kawachi, T., Sakai, H., Fukushi, H., Kano, R., Shibahara, T., Shirouzu, H., Kakizoe, Y. et al. (2012) Disseminated mycosis in a killer whale (Orcinus orca). J Vet Diagnostic Investig 24, 211-218.
    1. de Abreu, D.P.B., Machado, C.H., Makita, M.T., Botelho, C.F.M., Oliveira, F.G., da Veiga, C.C.P., Martins, M.D. and Baroni, F.A. (2017) Intestinal lesion in a dog due to Cryptococcus gattii type VGII and review of published cases of canine gastrointestinal cryptococcosis. Mycopathologia 182, 597-602.
    1. Ajenjo, H.M.C., Aquevedo, S.A., Guzmán, D.A.M., Poggi, M.H., Calvo, A.M., Castillo, V.C., León, C.E., Andresen, H.M. et al. (2011) Epidemiologial profile of invasive candidiasis in intensive care units at a university hospital. Rev Chilena Infectol 28, 118-122 (in Spanish).
    1. Amanati, A., Lotfi, M. and Masoudi, M. (2020) Cerebral and pulmonary aspergillosis, treatment and diagnostic challenges of mixed breakthrough invasive fungal infections: case report study. BMC Infect Dis 20, 535.
    1. Anane, S. and Attouchi, H. (2010) La microsporidiose: épidémiologie, manifestations cliniques et prise en charge thérapeutique. Gastroenterol Clin Biol 34, 450-464.