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Fungal pneumonia can be diagnosed in a number of ways. The simplest and cheapest method is to culture the fungus from a patient's respiratory fluids. However, such tests are not only insensitive but take time to develop which is a major drawback because studies have shown that slow diagnosis of fungal pneumonia is linked to high mortality. [4]
Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), also known as Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP), is a form of pneumonia that is caused by the yeast-like fungus Pneumocystis jirovecii. [3] [4] Pneumocystis specimens are commonly found in the lungs of healthy people although it is usually not a cause for disease. [5]
Blastomycosis in the lungs may present a variety of symptoms, or no symptoms at all. [8] If symptoms are present they may range from mild pneumonia resembling a pneumococcal infection to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). [8] Common symptoms include fever, chills, headache, coughing, difficulty breathing, chest pain, and malaise. [8]
[9] [12] Once breathed in, the dried yeast cells colonize the lungs, where they are either cleared by immune cells, lie dormant, or cause infection and spread. [13] Diagnosis is by isolating Cryptococcus from a sample of affected tissue or direct observation of the fungus by using staining of body fluids. [9]
Pneumocystis jirovecii (previously P. carinii) is a yeast-like fungus of the genus Pneumocystis. The causative organism of Pneumocystis pneumonia, it is an important human pathogen, particularly among immunocompromised hosts. Prior to its discovery as a human-specific pathogen, P. jirovecii was known as P. carinii.
[4] [3] A chest X-ray of affected lungs show widespread shadowing in both lungs, with a "bat-wing" pattern and ground glass appearance. [2] [7] Giemsa or silver stains can be used to identify the organism, as well as direct immunofluorescence of infected cells. [3] Diagnosis in the eye involves fundoscopy. [12]
Coccidioidomycosis diagnosis relies on a combination of an infected person's signs and symptoms, findings on radiographic imaging, and laboratory results. [4] The disease is commonly misdiagnosed as bacterial community-acquired pneumonia . [ 4 ]
Fungemia is the presence of fungi or yeast in the blood. The most common type, also known as candidemia , candedemia , or systemic candidiasis , is caused by Candida species. Candidemia is also among the most common bloodstream infections of any kind. [ 1 ]