Fungal pathogen
A fungus that infects a host and causes disease. Fungal pathogens affect humans, animals, plants, and other organisms.
Fungal infection: A disease-causing invasion or growth of fungi in a host. The broader process includes infection by pathogens ranging from yeasts to molds.
Candida albicans: A yeast that commonly inhabits humans and can cause infections ranging from thrush to invasive candidiasis. It illustrates how a normally resident fungus can become a pathogen.
Antifungal: A substance or treatment that kills fungi or inhibits their growth. Antifungals treat infections caused by fungal pathogens, though resistance limits some options.
Emerging infectious disease: An infection whose incidence or geographic range is increasing, or that is newly recognized in a population. Newly spreading fungal diseases form part of the wider challenge of emerging infections.
Bacterial pathogen: A bacterium that infects a host and causes disease. Bacteria and fungi differ in cell structure, drug targets, and treatment.
Virulence factor: A microbial trait that increases the ability to infect or damage a host. Fungal virulence depends on traits that enable colonization, immune evasion, or tissue injury.
Aspergillus fumigatus: A mold whose airborne spores can cause severe disease, especially in people with weakened immune defenses. Its inhaled spores show how environmental fungi can cause invasive human infection.
Antifungal resistance: The ability of fungi to survive exposure to drugs that would ordinarily inhibit or kill them. Resistance can make infections harder to treat and narrows available therapies.
Fungal disease in wildlife: Disease caused by fungi in wild animal populations, sometimes producing large-scale declines. The causes and ecological consequences of wildlife fungal outbreaks remain difficult to predict.
Viral pathogen: A virus that infects a host and causes disease. Viruses replicate using host cells, unlike fungi, which are cellular organisms.