Fungal diseases

Fungal diseases of the skin and nails

The medical term for skin infections caused by fungi is skin mycoses. Depending on the type of pathogen, skin can be affected as well as hair, nails, and mucous membranes. They are distinguished from so-called system mycoses, which are fungal diseases of the internal organs, but will not be explained here.

There are more than 100,000 types of fungi. Not all fungi necessarily cause illnesses among humans. Many fungi only affect animals or plants; other fungi prefer to live off dead organic material, such as mould. And many fungi are also used to manufacture food (cheese, beer, bakery products) and drugs.

To date, it is not possible to allocate all the fungi to one of the many sub-groups. In dermatology, the classification into three groups has proven its worth. Dermatophytes, yeasts, and moulds, the so-called D-Y-M system. There are also several sub-classifications here.

Due to the diversity of potential fungal diseases, only a brief overview of some of the most important skin mycoses can be provided below. It will become clear that the diagnosis of a fungal disease can be complex. In these cases, the dermatologist is the right contact person.