All About Fungal Infections

Fungi are all around us. While they don't usually pose a threat to human health, they occasionally cause infection and can become dangerous. The BIOFIRE^® FILMARRAY^® System simultaneously detects infection-causing fungi and other relevant pathogens in about an hour.

What is a Fungus?

A fungus is an organism that is classified separately from animals, plants, and bacteria. Examples include mushrooms, molds, and yeasts. Fungi are all around us—they can be found outdoors in soil or on plants, indoors on surfaces or in the air, and on people's skin and inside their bodies. While most fungi do not typically pose a threat to human health, there are certain situations wherein they cause infection and can become dangerous.

What is a Fungal Infection?

Up to 15% of all healthcare associated infections are caused by fungi.¹ Fungal infections have a wide variety of origins, forms, and levels of severity. A fungal infection occurs when a fungus—usually one that is common in the environment—overgrows in or invades any part of the body. Fungal infections often start on the skin, when fungi are picked up from the environment, or in the lungs, when microscopic spores are breathed in through the mouth or nose. What sets fungal infections apart from bacterial and viral infections is that fungal infections are not contagious. People with weakened immune systems or who take antimicrobials are most susceptible to fungal infections.

Mild fungal diseases, such as athlete's foot, are very common, usually present like a rash, and are typically treatable with antifungal medication. Lung infections caused by fungi often present like the flu and can lead to fungal pneumonia. The most severe types of fungal infections, such as fungal meningitis or fungal infections of the bloodstream, are much less common and, because they can quickly become life-threatening, require hospitalization and antimicrobial treatment.

Notable Infection-Causing Fungi

Cryptococcus neoformans is a yeast that can live in plants and animals. It is found throughout the world in soil, on decaying wood, and in bird droppings. When C. neoformans spores are inhaled they can cause pulmonary infection and can progress to disseminated infection in any part of the body. C. neoformans predominantly affects patients with immunocompromising conditions. Cryptococcal meningitis occurs when the disseminated fungi spread to the central nervous system. It causes similar symptoms as other infectious meningitis etiologies, which can make it difficult to diagnose. However, unlike other infectious meningitis etiologies, which can be highly contagious, fungal meningitis doesn't spread between people.

The BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY® Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel takes about an hour to detect Cryptococcus neoformans/gattii in addition to 6 bacteria and 7 viruses that most commonly cause meningitis and encephalitis. Determining the probable cause of central nervous system infection quickly can help healthcare providers use their resources more efficiently, including hospital beds and antimicrobials.

Candida auris is a fungus that can be carried on the skin and inside the body without causing problems in most people. It is likeliest to cause infection, including meningitis and bloodstream infections, in patients with weakened immune systems. Candida species are the most common cause of fungal sepsis. If one enters the bloodstream or internal organs, it can cause a dangerous and invasive infection that may lead to sepsis. The CDC considers Candida auris to be an especially urgent threat because clinical cases of antifungal-resistant Candida auris have been reported.

The BIOFIRE® Blood Culture Identification 2 Panel accurately identifies Candida auris—as well as simultaneously targeting 32 other yeast and bacterial targets, and 10 antimicrobial resistance genes—directly from positive blood culture in about an hour. Rapidly diagnosing the probable cause of sepsis is critical to optimizing life-saving antimicrobial therapy.

Syndromic Testing for Fungal Infections

The BIOFIRE^® FILMARRAY^® System performs syndromic tests. It uses multiplex PCR technology to rapidly detect a comprehensive grouping of pathogens, including fungi, that could be causing a specific syndrome. By targeting relevant fungi in addition to other pathogens, the BIOFIRE^® FILMARRAY^® System can help healthcare providers quickly and efficiently determine the cause of infection sooner and potentially avoid guesswork, downstream testing, and unnecessary antimicrobial usage.

References

Delaloye J, et al. Invasive candidiasis as a cause of sepsis in the critically ill patient. Virulence 2014;5(1):161-169.