Mycosis Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment

Mycosis is a fungal infection of animals, including humans.[1] Mycoses are common and a variety of environmental and physiological conditions can contribute to the development of fungal diseases. Inhalation of fungal spores or localized colonization of the skin may initiate persistent infections; therefore, mycoses often start in the lungs or on the skin.

Causes:

Individuals with weakened immune systems are also at risk of developing fungal infections. This is the case of people with HIV/AIDS, people under steroid treatments, and people taking chemotherapy. People with diabetes also tend to develop fungal infections. Very young and very old people, also, are groups at risk.Although all are at risk of developing fungal infections, the likelihood is higher in these groups.

Symptoms
Mycosis fungoides usually develops slowly and moves through four phases. But not everyone goes through all of them:

First phase: a scaly red rash, usually in areas that don’t get sunlight such as your rear end. There are no other symptoms in this phase, and it may last months or even years.

Second phase:a thin red rash that looks like patches.

Third phase:small raised bumps or hard plaques that may be red.

Fourth phase: tumours or bumps that may look like mushrooms. They can break open and get infected.

Diagnosis:
It can be hard for your doctor to know for sure that you have mycosis fungoides. The patches or plaques can look like eczema, psoriasis, or another common skin problem. It’s possible to have it for years before you get the right diagnosis.

Your doctor will take a small sample of your skin  a biopsy and put it under a microscope to look for signs of the cancer. You might need several biopsies to confirm it.

Classification
Mycoses are classified according to the tissue levels initially colonized.

Superficial mycoses:
Superficial mycoses are limited to the outermost layers of the skin and hair.

An example of such a fungal infection is Tinea versicolor, a fungus infection that commonly affects the skin of young people, especially the chest, back, and upper arms and legs. Tinea versicolor is caused by a fungus that lives in the skin of some adults. It does not usually affect the face. This fungus produces spots that are either lighter than the skin or a reddish brown. This fungus exists in two forms, one of them causing visible spots. Factors that can cause the fungus to become more visible include high humidity, as well as immune or hormone abnormalities. However, almost all people with this very common condition are healthy.

Cutaneous mycoses:
Cutaneous mycoses extend deeper into the epidermis, and also include invasive hair and nail diseases. These diseases are restricted to the keratinized layers of the skin, hair, and nails. Unlike the superficial mycoses, host immune responses may be evoked resulting in pathologic changes expressed in the deeper layers of the skin. The organisms that cause these diseases are called dermatophytes, the resulting diseases are often called ringworm, dermatophytosis or tinea. Dermatophytes only cause infections of the skin, hair, and nails, and are unable to induce systemic, generalized mycoses, even in immunocompromised hosts.

Subcutaneous mycoses:
Subcutaneous mycoses involve the dermis, subcutaneous tissues, muscle and fascia. These infections are chronic and can be initiated by piercing trauma to the skin which allows the fungi to enter. These infections are difficult to treat and may require surgical interventions such as debridement. Difficult to treat some of the fungal infections particularly when the patients resistant to first line anti-retroviral therapy

Systemic mycoses due to primary pathogens:
Systemic mycoses due to primary pathogens originate primarily in the lungs and may spread to many organ systems. Organisms that cause systemic mycoses are inherently virulent. In general, primary pathogens that cause systemic mycoses are dimorphic.

Systemic mycoses due to opportunistic pathogens:
Systemic mycoses due to opportunistic pathogens are infections of patients with immune deficiencies who would otherwise not be infected. Examples of immunocompromised conditions include AIDS, alteration of normal flora by antibiotics, immunosuppressive therapy, and metastatic cancer. Examples of opportunistic mycoses include Candidiasis, Cryptococcosis and Aspergillosis.

Treatment:
Mycosis fungoides is rarely cured, but some people stay in remission for a long time. In early stages, it’s often treated with medicines or therapies that target just your skin. Your doctor may use more than one approach:

Creams, gels, or lotions: These include corticosteroids, vitamin A medicines called retinoids, and chemotherapy drugs that are spread on the skin. They can clear the rash, control the cancer, and get rid of the itch.

Phototherapy: This uses ultraviolet light rays to heal the skin. Sometimes, you take a drug beforehand that makes T-cells more sensitive to the light.

Radiation: Electron beam radiation works well against mycosis fungoides. It uses very tiny electrically charged particles (electrons) to target and kill cancer cells. This type of radiation only enters the upper layers of your skin, so deeper tissues and organs are safe.