Fungal infection

Fungal infections range from superficial skin infections to life-threatening systemic infections. Systemic fungal infections are serious infections that occur when fungi gain entrance into the interior of the body.
A fungus is a colorless plant that lacks chlorophyll.Fungi that cause disease in humans may be yeastlike or moldlike; the resulting infections are called mycotic infections or fungal infections.
Mycotic (fungal) infections may be one of two types:
1. Superficial mycotic infections
2. Deep (systemic) mycotic infections
The superficial mycotic infections occur on the surface of, or just below, the skin or nails. Superficial infections include tinea pedis (athlete’s foot), tinea cruris (jock itch), tinea corporis (ringworm), onychomycosis (nail fungus), and yeast infections, such as those caused by Candida albicans. Yeast infections or those caused by C. albicans affect women in the vulvovaginal area and can be difficult to control. Women who are at increased risk for vulvovaginal yeast infections are those who have diabetes, are pregnant, or are taking oral contraceptives, antibiotics, or corticosteroids.
Antifungal drugs may be fungicidal (able to destroy fungi) or fungistatic (able to slow or retard the multiplication of fungi). Amphotericin B (Fungizone IV), miconazole (Monistat), nystatin (Mycostatin), and ketoconazole (Nizoral) are thought to have an effect on the cell membrane of the fungus, resulting in a fungicidal or fungistatic effect. The fungicidal or fungistatic effect of these drugs appears to be related to their concentration in body tissues. Fluconazole (Diflucan) has fungistatic activity that appears to result from the depletion of sterols (a group of substances related to fats) in the fungus cells.