Fungal Infections

Risk factors for Candida infection of the vagina include pregnancy, oral contraceptive use, diabetes mellitus, HIV infection, and antimicrobial therapy, although the majority of infections occur in the absence of these risks. Typical complaints are vulvar pruritus and vaginal discharge (Box 1), although a wide range of symptoms exists.

Candida infection of the esophagus can present with a range of clinical findings (Box 1). Between 20 and 50% of patients may be asymptomatic. Others will note dysphagia, odynophagia, epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting, or hematemesis. Fever may be present.

Candida infections of the oral cavity are relatively common and may present in several forms. Any of the forms may be asymptomatic or may cause soreness and burning. The most common, acute pseudomembranous candidiasis, or oral thrush, presents with multiple white patches on the tongue, palate, and other areas of oral mucosa.

Skin infections with Candida are common and may manifest in a variety of forms. Intertrigo occurs in warm, moist areas of skin, such as under the breast, in the groin, and in the axilla.

Coccidioidomycosis was first described as a disease a little more than a century ago in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was in San Francisco that the organism causing the clinical disease was given its name, Coccidioides immitis. Many diseases were later found to be caused by this organism, including San Joaquin Valley Fever.

Blastomyces dermatitidis is an endemic fungus that causes acute and chronic infections in humans and other animals. It is found primarily in the south central, southeastern, and midwestern United States, especially in the states surrounding the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Outside the United States, cases have been reported from Canadian provinces bordering the Great Lakes, Africa, India, the Middle East, and Central and South America.

Histoplasma capsulatum, the etiologic agent of histoplasmosis, is an endemic, dimorphic fungus that causes a wide spectrum of disease in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. It is found in temperate zones around the world. In the United States, it is endemic within the Ohio and Mississippi River Valleys.

Fungal infection of the nails (onychomycosis) may be caused by a number of dermatophytes as well as by a number of other moulds and Candida species. There is wide geographical and racial variation in the causative agents, but in the UK 85-90% of nail infections are due to dermatophytes and about 5% are due to non-dermatophyte moulds.

The anthropophilic dermatophytes E. floccosum, T. mentagrophytes var. interdigitate and T. rubrutn are the most common causes of tinea manuum. Less commonly, the condition is caused by zoophilic dermatophytes, such as M. canis and T. verrucosum, or geophilic dermatophytes, such as M. gypseum. Hand infection may be acquired as a result of contact with another person, with an animal, or with soil, either through direct contact, or via a contaminated object such as a towel or gardening tool. Autoinoculation from another site of infection can also occur.

The term tinea pedis is used to refer to dermatophyte infections of the feet. These infections often involve the interdigital spaces, but chronic diffuse desquamation can affect the entire sole. The anthropophilic dermatophytes E. floccosum, T. mentagrophytes var. interdigitale and T. rubrutn are the commonest causes of tinea pedis in the UK and North America.