Infections caused by fungi have recently attracted the attention of both clinicians and basic researchers given the heavy burden they represent for any health system. The mortality and morbidity rates associated to mycosis are progressively rising simply because some of these diseases are still neglected by health-care workers and due to the changing sensitivity to antifungal drugs displayed by these organisms. In this book, both researchers and clinicians working in the medical mycology field explore the most recent literature about specific mycosis; placing in one concise chapter thoroughly revisions of the current knowledge on virulence factors, recognition by immune cells, immunoevasion, epidemiology, new diagnosis trends and therapeutics. This book is recommended to researchers, physicians and students interested in medical mycology.

This latest volume in the Current Topics in Medical Mycology series brings together internationally recognized researchers to summarize current topics of interest to medical mycologists and other scientists who are working in microbiology and immunology. A blend of contemporary, authoritative reviews and summaries of new advancements and future directions, Volume 3 aims to promote the interdisciplinary use of medically important fungi in pathogenesis, epidemiology, mycotoxins, taxonomy, and other areas where basic, applied, and clinical science are used.

The Kingdom fungi encompass a massive diversity of taxa with wide-ranging ecologies, life cycles, and morphologies ranging from unicellular aquatic chytrids to large mushrooms. Before molecular methods came in existence, taxonomists considered this Kingdom to be a member of the plant kingdom due to certain life styles like immobility and growth habitats. Molecular markers (also known as DNA markers), facilitated a better alternative method over traditional morphological methods, employed for the identification, characterization, and to understand the evolution of fungi. The morphological methods used for identification are mainly dependent on spore color or microscopic features whereas molecular markers are based on DNA polymorphism in the genomic organization. Phylogenetic studies reported in last decade, based on molecular markers, have reshaped the classification system of Kingdom fungi, which divided into one subkingdom, seven phyla, and ten subphyla. Recent advances in molecular mycology have opened the way for researchers to identify and characterize novel fungal species from unique environments. Mycology is concerned with the systematic study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their use to humans as a source of medicine and food, as well as their dangers, such as poisoning and infections. In the 21st century with the development of DNA sequencing technologies and phylogenetic analysis based on molecular markers, new insights into fungal taxonomy were provided. This book contains a thorough discussion of molecular characterization and detection of different groups of fungi by using PCR-based markers and provides a comprehensive view of the applications and uses of different molecular markers in molecular mycology. It also addresses the recent molecular markers employed to solve the problems of identification and discusses current approaches used in molecular characterization and detection of fungi.

Environmental Mycology in Public Health: Fungi and Mycotoxins Risk Assessment and Management provides the most updated information on fungi, an essential element in the survival of our global ecology that can also pose a significant threat to the health of occupants when they are present in buildings. As the exposure to fungi in homes is a significant risk factor for a number of respiratory symptoms, including allergies and hypersensitivity pneumonitis, this book presents information on fungi and their disease agents, important aspects of exposure assessment, and their impacts on health. This book answers the hard questions, including, "How does one detect and measure the presence of indoor fungi?" and "What is an acceptable level of indoor fungi?" It then examines how we relate this information to human health problems. - Provides unique new insights on fungi and their metabolites detection in the environmental and occupational settings - Presents new information that is enriched by significant cases studies - Multi-contributed work, edited by a proficient team in medical and environmental mycology with different individual expertise - Guides the readers in the implementation of preventive and protective measures regarding exposure to fungi

Encyclopedia of Mycology, Two Volume Set provides a broad and multidisciplinary overview of a subject whose importance in an ecosystem is becoming more and more universally accepted with its close links to botany, microbiology, biotechnology and medicine. While there are many subject-specific works available on the topics presented, from a multidisciplinary point-of-view it is difficult to find a reliable and updated source such as this one. This work is unique in that it is a one-stop-shop on every topic area of this exciting field. Offers students and researchers a one-stop shop with access to a wealth of information on multiple subject areas currently only available in scattered or non-technical sources Provides an authoritative resource authored by outstanding scientists in the field who cover a range of disciplines Written in a practical and unified language, can be used for teaching or serve as a resource for researchers and managers

Laboratory Handbook of Medical Mycology summarizes the concepts dealing with the laboratory aspects of medical mycology. The publication first offers information on basic terminology and classification, laboratory safety, and clinical specimens. Discussions focus on tissue, abscess, blood, bone marrow, and urine specimens, biological hazards, disinfection and sterilization, grounding of electrical equipment, waste disposal, asexual and sexual reproduction, and vegetative growth. The text then takes a look at mold and yeast identification, including fermentation, temperature studies, asci and ascospores, zygomycetes, cycloheximide resistance, and sporulation and sterile isolates. The manuscript ponders on susceptibility testing and bioassay procedures, culture collection, and quality control. Topics include proficiency evaluations, media and equipment control, depositing unusual isolates in major culture collections, reconstituting lyophilized cultures, bioassay to determine drug levels in body fluids, and in vitro susceptibility testing. The publication is a dependable source of data for laboratory technologists, microbiologists, and mycologists engaged in safely isolating and accurately identifying fungi of medical importance.

Theoretically translated from the 1991 Dicctionario Illustrado de Micologia, a reference for students of fungus, but in fact also updated and enlarged to include nearly twice as many terms and 80% more illustrations. Many of the some 4,000 entries include black-and- white drawings or photographs illustrating the part or feature being defined. Ulloa (botany, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico) and Hanlin (plant pathology, U. of Georgia) include the derivation of the words, most of which are from Latin. Unfortunately they do not indicate pronunciation. The cross-referencing is extensive, which mitigates the lack of an index. They also include a short bibliography and an extensive outline of the classification of the taxa they cover down to the genus level. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR