Description
In this course, you'll be introduced to Fungi but not on the general understanding that is well known. This course is centered on Fungi of medicinal importance i. e those that cause human diseases, why and how they do so and the laboratory diagnosis and treatment towards them. Although fungi have a reputation in breaking down organic matter and releasing nutrients such as Nitrogen, Carbon and Oxygen into the soil; they also improve the soil structure immensely and some are workers in climate change, this course does not take those functions into consideration. This course is mainly centered on those fungi that cause human diseases. So although, Fungi are saprophytic, how do their saprophytic nature imply in human diseases? And most especially, the human body already has its own normal flora of mainly bacteria which are good guys and serve as guides and defenders of their habitat. They have colonized places such as the gut, the stomach, the vagina and the surface of the skin. So then how would these incoming fungi from the environment be able to thrive in these bacteria-acquired zones?We shall take a look at the general characteristics of fungi, they being eukaryotes and what makes them so special and different from the other eukaryotes like humans. Also, what is that characterizing feature that differentiates fungi from bacteria?We shall also delve into the cell wall and the cell membrane of these fungi and what makes them cause diseases. Though ubiquitous, present everywhere: in the air, in waterbodies, on our skin, on our newly-ironed clothes, in our hairs etc, most diseases we see and hear of are etiologically from bacteria and viruses. Why not fungi taking their ubiquity(commonness) into consideration?What causes Fungemia and Hypersensitivity(allergy)?Mushroom poisoning by mycetismus and a whole lot.
