TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF FUNGAL INFECTIONS A1 - Edwards, John E. A2 - Kasper, Dennis L. A2 - Fauci, Anthony S. PY - 2017 T2 - Harrison's Infectious Diseases, 3e AB - Traditionally, fungal infections have been classified into specific categories based on both anatomic location and epidemiology. The most common general anatomic categories are mucocutaneous and deep organ infection; the most common general epidemiologic categories are endemic and opportunistic infection. Although mucocutaneous infections can cause serious morbidity, they are rarely fatal. Deep organ infections also cause severe illness in many cases and, in contrast to mucocutaneous infections, are often fatal. The endemic mycoses (e.g., coccidioidomycosis) are caused by fungal organisms that are not part of the normal human microbiota but rather are acquired from environmental sources. In contrast, opportunistic mycoses are caused by organisms (e.g., Candida and Aspergillus) that commonly are components of the normal human microbiota and whose ubiquity in nature renders them easily acquired by the immunocompromised host (Table 110-1). Opportunistic fungi cause serious infections when the immunologic response of the host becomes ineffective, allowing the organisms to transition from harmless commensals to invasive pathogens. Frequently, the diminished effectiveness of the immune system is a result of advanced modern therapies that coincidentally either cause an imbalance in the host’s microbiota or directly interfere with immunologic responses. Endemic mycoses cause more severe illness in immunocompromised patients than in immunocompetent individuals. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accessbiomedicalscience.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1141412532 ER -