Added: 12/14/2005 |
Fungal disease poses threat for AIDS-infectedFungal disease has emerged recently as a threat to the health of people especially those whose immune system is suppressed. As the use of antifungal drugs is constantly increasing scientists are apprehensive that the fungi will get resistant to the drugs.
Researchers who study different kinds of fungal disease are concentrated on the following goals: providing better ways of diagnosis, better treatment and prevention of the principal fungal diseases.
It is worthy to mention such types of fungal disease as candidiasis and cryptococcosis.
Candidiasis is an infection, which is caused by candida fungi, Candida ablicans in particular. These types of fungi can be found everywhere in the environment. Some of them live harmlessly together with other species of bacteria in the mouth, vagina and gastrointestinal tract. As a rule, the immune system and the native bacteria keep candida fungi under control. Nevertheless, the immune system of the man can be suppressed by the use of antibiotics or by some diseases (especially diabetes and AIDS), some medications (anticancer drugs and corticosteroids) and malnutrition. In these cases, candida multiply and its symptoms become visible. Candidiasis can develop in any part of the body causing either local or general infections. It depends on the person and the state of health.
There are several types of candidiasis. The first type is thrush which a common name for a mouth infection. Another fungal disease is esophagitis. It is an infection that begins in the mouth and spreads to the esophagus. This condition is common with people who are ill with AIDS and those cured from cancer with the help of chemotherapy. Such a fungal disease as skin candidiasis causes skin infections. Vaginal yeast infection and deep candidiasis are other types of candidiasis.
As for cryptococcosis, it is a rare fungal infection, which is a result of inhaling the fungus. Cryptococcus neoformans, the fungus causing cryptococcosis, is usually found in the soil. It is worthy of note that the infection may heal on its own localizing in the lungs or spreading all over the body.
Those people whose resistance to infections is lowered are most prone to cryptococcosis. They are usually people with HIV, taking corticosteroid medications, subjected to cancer chemotherapy and those suffering from Hodgkin's disease.
Cryptococcosis may cause death to the patients with AIDS. The most common symptoms of the infection are: chest pain, headache, confusion, fatigue, bleeding, easy bruising, dry cough, nausea, double vision or blurred vision, fever, sweating, weight loss, abdominal pain, weakness, tingling, numbness, appetite loss, bone pain and others.
However, those with healthy immune system may have no symptoms.
The condition can be detected using lung biopsy, CSF culture, sputum culture, chest x-ray. As some infections are asymptomatic, they may require no treatment. Nevertheless, the patient should regularly visit the doctor in order to stake off any development of the condition. If the disease spreads, the doctor prescribes antifungal medications, such as flucytozine, amphotericin B and fluconazole.
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