Symptoms of fungal infection?

What are the symptoms of a fungal infection? Is it possible for a fungal infection to be internal? What would cause this, do you have to be immunocompromised? Is it possible for a fungal infection to just in the urinary tract?

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Fungal infections includes those listed below. Note that Fungal infections symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Fungal infections signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor:

Alopecia
Annular lesions
Pustules
Rash
Onycholysis
Other causes of these symptoms: Click on any of the above symptoms to see a full list of other diseases, toxin, or drugs side effect causes of that symptom. To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.


Fungi are a type of plant that can infect people. Yeasts, molds, and mushrooms are all examples of fungi.

Some fungi reproduce by spreading microscopic spores. These spores are often present in the air, where they can be inhaled or come into contact with the surfaces of a person's body. Consequently, fungal infections usually begin in the lungs or on the skin. Of the wide variety of spores that land on the skin or are inhaled into the lungs, most do not cause infection. Except for some superficial skin conditions, fungal infections are rarely passed from one person to another.

Certain types of fungi (such as Candida) are normally present on body surfaces or in the intestines. Although normally harmless, these fungi sometimes cause local infections of the skin and nails (see Fungal Skin Infections: Introduction), vagina (see Vaginal Infections), mouth (see Lip and Tongue Disorders: Discomfort and Periodontal Diseases: Gingivitis due to Infections), or sinuses (see Fungal Sinus Infections). They seldom cause serious harm, except in people with a weakened immune system or with foreign material (such as an intravenous catheter) in their body.

Sometimes, the normal balances that keep fungi in check are upset and infections occur. For example, the bacteria normally present in the digestive tract and vagina limit the growth of certain fungi in those areas. When a person takes antibiotics, those helpful bacteria can be killed鈥攁llowing the fungi to grow unchecked. The resulting overgrowth of fungi can cause symptoms, which are usually mild. As the bacteria grow back, the balance is restored, and the problem usually resolves.

Some fungal infections (for example, histoplasmosis, blastomycosis, and coccidioidomycosis) can be serious in otherwise healthy people.

Some fungal infections are more common in certain geographic areas. For example, in the United States coccidioidomycosis occurs almost exclusively in the Southwest, whereas histoplasmosis is especially common in the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys. Blastomycosis is particularly common in the eastern and central United States and in Africa.

Because many fungal infections develop slowly, months or years may pass before a person seeks medical attention. In people with a weakened immune system (for example, people who have received an organ transplant, are being treated for cancer with immunosuppressive drugs, or who have AIDS), fungal infections can be very aggressive鈥攕preading quickly to other organs and often leading to death.

Several drugs effective against fungal infections are available, but the structure and chemical makeup of fungi make them difficult to kill. Antifungal drugs may be applied directly to a fungal infection of the skin or other surface, such as the vagina or the inside of the mouth. Antifungal drugs may also be taken by mouth or injected when needed to treat more serious infections. Several months of treatment are often needed.

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec17/ch197/ch...

itchyness, irritation, pealing of the skin