The importance of fungal organisms as allergens and pathogens has been increasing considerably over the last decade. This is due, on the one hand, to a general increase in the incidence of allergies, but also to the growing number of immunocompromized individuals such as AIDS patients or transplant recipients. This book summarizes what is currently known about the allergens of Candida, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Alternaria, Coprinus, and Psilocybe, among others, and describes the application of recombinant allergens for diagnosis and new forms of therapy. The virulence factors and defense mechanisms against Aspergillus and Candida infections are discussed as are the various causes of superficial skin infections with fungi and the aerobiology of fungal spores and mycelia. A comprehensive chapter on fungal toxins and their importance for human and animal health is included, followed by a summary of the present state of fungal genome sequencing. Finally, the now generally accepted new sequence-based systematics and phylogeny of allergenic and pathogenic fungi is presented. A glossary explains the highly specialized terminology of clinical and systematic mycology for the nonspecialist. Summarizing the most up-to-date molecular and clinical findings, this publication will be of interest not only to allergologists, mycologists and biologists, but to all clinicians who want to learn more about clinically important fungi as well as to lawyers concerned with lawsuits on 'sick building syndrome'.

Incidence of invasive fungal sinusitis has been increasing over the years. The understanding of its pathophysiology has improved with newer serological tests and diagnostic methods helping in earlier diagnosis and reducing patient morbidity. It was believed earlier that invasive fungal sinusitis is seen only in immune compromised patients but clinical reports suggest otherwise. More anti-fungal drugs are being added to improve incidence of patient survival. This book aims to compile all practical information about invasive fungal sinusitis into a single volume. Therefore, busy clinicians would not have to perform exhaustive literature studies to diagnose invasive fungal sinusitis. The book aims to provide an overview of diseases which could be mistaken for invasive fungal sinusitis and discuss how the management is different. Book sections consist of clinical, microbiological, serological, pathological, radiological and pharmacological features of the disease and its management. Each section is important in today’s context as it dynamically alters the management of the patient. Early clinical suspicion and rapid microbiological, pathological and radiological diagnosis with aggressive treatment with surgical debridement and medical therapy leads to favorable outcomes.

Almost all homes, apartments, and commercial buildings will experience leaks, flooding, or other forms of excessive indoor dampness at some point. Not only is excessive dampness a health problem by itself, it also contributes to several other potentially problematic types of situations. Molds and other microbial agents favor damp indoor environments, and excess moisture may initiate the release of chemical emissions from damaged building materials and furnishings. This new book from the Institute of Medicine examines the health impact of exposures resulting from damp indoor environments and offers recommendations for public health interventions. Damp Indoor Spaces and Health covers a broad range of topics. The book not only examines the relationship between damp or moldy indoor environments and adverse health outcomes but also discusses how and where buildings get wet, how dampness influences microbial growth and chemical emissions, ways to prevent and remediate dampness, and elements of a public health response to the issues. A comprehensive literature review finds sufficient evidence of an association between damp indoor environments and some upper respiratory tract symptoms, coughing, wheezing, and asthma symptoms in sensitized persons. This important book will be of interest to a wide-ranging audience of science, health, engineering, and building professionals, government officials, and members of the public.

Whereas plant and insect infections are commonly caused by fungi, only a small minority of the vast diversity of fungal species is pathogenic to humans. Despite this, fungal infections cause considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. This volume is dedicated to the biology, clinical presentation and management of invasive fungal infections. Major pathogenic fungi are introduced by world-leading experts and the basic principles of fungal virulence are reviewed in the light of new results and experimental technologies that offer unprecedented insights into invasive infections caused by Aspergillus, Candida, Cryptococcus, Pneumocystis and Mucorales. In parallel, the clinical presentation of invasive fungal infections and current approaches to their diagnosis and treatment are summarized to provide an overview of human pathogenic fungi, linking pathogen biology to the clinical presentation of disease.

This book is specially written for researchers at various levels, for example, in forestry, agriculture, industry, university and college laboratories. It describes the fungal pathogenicity; resistance behavior of fungal biofilms and its mechanisms; different categories of fungal infection and colonization patterns with example relevant to soybean; characteristics of white rob of corncob and head smut of maize such as cycle, pathogenicity factors, control methods, the abilities of chitosan and its derivatives to elicit resistance reactions in plants and its action in the production and viability of fungal spores; and the mode of actions of single constituents of different essential oils depending on different case studies. In addition, this book also describes the importance of synthetic peptides as an alternative tool for the diagnosis of cryptococcosis. Finally, a survey of fungal diseases occurring on trees of Namibia is described. This survey is the first dedicated step to find ways of protecting them from disease-causing agents.