Fungal pneumonia is an infection of the lungs by fungi. It can be caused by either endemic or opportunistic fungi or a combination of both. An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. ... Respiratory system The lungs flank the heart and great vessels in the chest cavity. ... Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Deuteromycota Fungi (singular fungus) are a kingdom of eukaryotic organisms. ... In epidemiology, an infection is said to be endemic in a population when that infection is maintained in the population without the need for external inputs. ... Opportunistic infections are infections caused by organisms and usually do not cause disease in a person with a healthy immune system, but can affect people with a poorly functioning or suppressed immune system. ...

Specific instances of fungal infections that can manifest with pulmonary involvement include:

• histoplasmosis, which has primary pulmonary lesions and hematogenous dissemination
• coccidioidomycosis, which begins with an often self-limited respiratory infection (also called "Valley fever" or "San Joaquin fever")
• pulmonary blastomycosis
• sporotrichosis - primarily a lymphocutaneous disease, but can involve the lungs as well
• cryptococcosis - contracted through inhalation of soil contaminated with the yeast, it can manifest as a pulmonary infection and as a disseminated one
• aspergillosis, resulting in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis
• rarely, candidiasis has pulmonary manifestations in immunocompromised patients.

Sporotrichosis is a disease caused by the infection of the fungus Sporothrix schenckii (S. schenckii). ...

Pathophysiology

Fungi typically enter the lung with inhalation of their spores, though they can reach the lung through the bloodstream if other parts of the body are infected. Also, fungal pneumonia can be caused by reactivation of a latent infection. Once inside the alveoli, fungi travel into the spaces between the cells and also between adjacent alveoli through connecting pores. This invasion triggers the immune system to respond by sending white blood cells responsible for attacking microorganisms (neutrophils) to the lungs. The neutrophils engulf and kill the offending organisms but also release cytokines which result in a general activation of the immune system. This results in the fever, chills, and fatigue common in bacterial and fungal pneumonia. The neutrophils and fluid leaked from surrounding blood vessels fill the alveoli and result in impaired oxygen transportation. This article is about a biological reproductive structure; for the video game, see Spore (video game). ... Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Deuteromycota Fungi (singular fungus) are a kingdom of eukaryotic organisms. ... A scanning electron microscope image of a single neutrophil (yellow), engulfing anthrax bacteria (orange). ... Neutrophil granulocytes (commonly referred to as neutrophils) are a class of white blood cells and are part of the immune system. ... Phagocytosis is a form of endocytosis wherein large particles are enveloped by the cell membrane of a (usually larger) cell and internalized to form a phagosome, or food vacuole. ...

Treatment

Fungal pneumonia can be treated with antifungal drugs and sometimes by surgical debridement. An antifungal drug is medication used to treat fungal infections such as athletes foot, ringworm and candidiasis (thrush), as well as serious systemic infections like cryptococcal meningitis. ... Debridement is a medical term referring to the removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue to improve the healing potential of the remaining healthy tissue. ...

External links

• Coccidioidomycosis

See also

• Pneumonia

Case mortality in fungal pneumonias can be as high as 70% in immunocompromised patients, though immunocompetent patients generally respond well to anti-fungal therapy. Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs and respiratory system in which the alveoli (microscopic air-filled sacs of the lung responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere) become inflamed and flooded with fluid. ...