Fungal virus infection

Medicine that weakens your immune system may increase the chance of getting a fungal infection. Are you living with HIV? People living with HIV particularly those with CD4 counts less than may be more likely to get fungal infections. Two well-known fungal infections associated with HIV in the United States are oral candidiasis thrush and Pneumocystis pneumonia.

Worldwide, cryptococcal meningitis and histoplasmosis are major causes of illness in people living with HIV. Are you going to be hospitalized? In the United States, one of the most common bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital is caused by a fungus called Candida. Candida normally lives in the gastrointestinal tract and on skin without causing any problems, but it can enter the bloodstream and cause infection.

A type of Candida called Candida auris is often resistant to antifungal medicines and can spread between patients in healthcare settings. Have you recently had a transplant? People who recently had an organ transplant or a stem cell transplant have weakened immune systems. That means they have a greater chance of developing a fungal infection. Doctors prescribe antifungal medicine for some transplant patients to prevent fungal infections.

Are you receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatments? Cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy and radiation, weakens your immune system. These treatments may increase the chance you will get a fungal infection. Do you have symptoms of pneumonia that are not getting better with antibiotics? Fungal infections, especially lung infections like Valley fever , histoplasmosis , and aspergillosis , can have similar symptoms as bacterial infections.

Early testing for fungal infections reduces unnecessary antibiotics use and allows people to start treatment with antifungal medicine, if necessary. More Information. Healthcare-associated Infections HAI. Researchers debate whether a virus is even "alive. By itself, a virus can accomplish nothing—it needs to enter a living thing to perform its only function, which is to replicate. When a virus gets inside a human body, it can hijack a person's cellular machinery to produce clones of itself, overtaking more cells and continuing to reproduce.

When the virus reproduces faster than the immune system can control it, it begins to destroy cells and harm the body. Viruses are also the smallest germ, making them generally the easiest to contract—they're so tiny they can spread through the air in a cough or a sneeze. Some viruses also are spread by mosquitoes or through bodily fluid. Since each virus is very different, no one drug exists to attack whichever virus is in your body.

Vaccines give preemptive protection from certain viruses by training the body's immune system to recognize and attack a specific virus. Common forms: Bacteria cause food poisoning, strep throat and urinary tract infections , as well as infections such as tuberculosis.

Bacteria are bigger and more complex than viruses, though they can still spread through the air. A bacterium is a single cell, and it can live and reproduce almost anywhere on its own: in soil, in water and in our bodies. For the most part, we live peacefully with bacteria—the colonies in our guts are helpful to us and strengthen our immune system. But like viruses, bacteria can also harm us by replicating quickly in our bodies, killing cells.

Some bacteria also produce toxins which can kill cells and cause an outsized, damaging immune reaction. Broad-spectrum antibiotics were developed to kill bacteria in our bodies and in the food supply by inhibiting their growth. But bacteria are extremely adaptive and can quickly evolve to evade antibiotics. Bacteria share their antibiotic-resistant genes with each other, meaning more strains generate resistance to the drugs we use.

Common forms: Fungi are responsible for causing conditions such as yeast infections , valley fever and meningitis. In other cases, fungi that are normally present on or inside your body can multiply out of control and cause an infection. Fungal infections can be contagious. They can spread from one person to another. In some cases, you can also catch disease-causing fungi from infected animals or contaminated soil or surfaces.

A fungal infection is also known as mycosis. Although most fungi are harmless to humans, some of them are capable of causing diseases under specific conditions.

Fungi reproduce by releasing spores that can be picked up by direct contact or even inhaled. Fungi can also penetrate your skin, affect your organs, and cause a body-wide systemic infection. These are called opportunistic infections.

The infection is caused by dermatophytes, a group of fungi that can thrive in the warm and humid areas between your toes. You can also catch it from contaminated surfaces, like a public shower or locker room floors. Your skin might also crack, peel, or blister.

Shop for antifungal products on Amazon. Jock itch is also known as tinea cruris. Often, a doctor will be able to recognize jock itch by looking at the affected skin. To help rule out other conditions, like psoriasis, they may take a scraping of skin cells and have them examined.

Jock itch can usually be treated at home by keeping the area clean and dry and applying OTC antifungal cream, powder, or spray. They can prescribe stronger antifungal medications. Learn how to recognize, treat, and prevent jock itch. Ringworm is a fungal infection that can affect your skin and scalp. Ringworm is also part of a group of fungi that grow on skin, particularly in damp and humid parts of your body. It usually starts as a reddish, itchy, scaly rash. Over time, patches of ringworm can spread and form red rings.

A simple skin examination can find ringworm. The fungus glows under a black light, so your doctor can tell if you have it by shining the black light over the affected area. A small sample of the affected skin can also be scraped off and sent to a lab for testing. You may need a prescription if your case is more severe or the infection is located on the nails or scalp.

Gain a better understanding of ringworm, including ways to prevent and treat it. Candida albicans is a type of fungus that can infect your skin, mouth, gastrointestinal tract, urinary tract, or genitals. But when these fungi multiply too much, they can cause an infection known as a yeast infection. Thrush causes white patches to form in your mouth and throat. People who undergo prolonged antibiotic therapy often develop this type of infection. To check for oral thrush, your doctor can use a throat swab to rub the affected areas.

Throat swabs look like a cotton bud. Your doctor can send the swab to a lab, where technicians will culture it to learn what types of fungi or other microbes are present. Your doctor will perform a pelvic exam to diagnose a vaginal yeast infection. Your treatment options will depend on the type of yeast infection you have and whether or not you get yeast infections regularly. Thrush can be treated with oral antifungal medications. These can come in the form of lozenges, pills, or mouthwash.