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(diz-ēz′ )
[Fr. desaise, fr. des, from + aise, ease]
A condition marked by subjective complaints, a specific history, clinical signs and symptoms, and laboratory or radiographic findings. Disease and illness differ in that disease is usually objective and tangible or measurable, whereas illness (and associated pain, suffering, or distress) is subjective and personal. Thus, a person may have a serious but symptom-free disease (such as hypertension) without illness. Conversely, a person may be extremely ill (such as with posttraumatic stress disorder) but have no obvious evidence of disease.
Particular diseases are listed under the first word. e.g., SEE: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; SEE: foot and mouth disease; SEE: inflammatory bowel disease; SEE TABLE: Fungal Diseases
Fungal Diseases
| Disease Name | Fungus | Presentation | Susceptibility |
| Aspergillosis | Aspergillus fumigatus (and other Aspergillus species) | Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA); aspergilloma; invasive or disseminated (bloodstream) infection | Persons with asthma, other allergic diseases, cystic fibrosis. Aspergilloma/invasive disease: most affected persons are immunosuppressed |
| Blastomycosis | Blastomyces dermatitidis | Pneumonia; skin infections; disseminated infections | Endemic in the central U.S. Infection most common after camping, fishing, hunting |
| Candidiasis | Candida albicans, C. glabrata (and other Candida species) | Diaper rash; oral thrush; vaginitis; esophagitis; sepsis with dissemination to multiple organs | People with burns; recent antibiotic therapy; diabetes mellitus; indwelling catheters; immunosuppressant diseases, therapies, or conditions |
| Coccidioidomycosis | Coccidioides immitis | Pneumonia; bone infection; skin abscesses; meningitis | Endemic in the southwestern U.S. and parts of Central America. Infection common near construction projects; after earthquakes or other soil disturbances |
| Cryptococcosis | Cryptococcus neoformans | Meningitis; pneumonia; skin infections | Found in soil and pigeon droppings. Most affected persons are immunosuppressed |
| Dermatophytosis | Tinea species | Athlete's foot (Tinea pedis); beard (Tinea barbae); chest and back (Tinea corporis); groin (Tinea cruris); scalp (Tinea capitis); others | Infection often develops on warm, moist skin |
| Histoplasmosis | Histoplasma capsulatum | Pneumonia | Endemic in the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys and parts of Central America; near caves; poultry farms |
| Phaeohyphomycosis | Various dematiaceous fungi, e.g., Cladophialophora, Bipolaris, Exophiala, Wangiella species | Skin infections; brain infections | Endemic in tropical countries; local skin disease may result from cuts or scratches. Disseminated disease occurs in the immunosuppressed |
| Pneumocystosis | Pneumocystis carinii | Pneumonia; disseminated infections | Most affected persons are immunosuppressed |
| Sporotrichosis | Sporothrix schenckii | Skin infections; lung, bone, joint, and disseminated infections | Outdoor skin exposures, e.g., gardening, landscaping Lung and disseminated infections most common in alcoholics, persons with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes mellitus, or immunosuppression |
| Mucormycosis; Zygomycosis | Absidia, Mucor, Rhizopus and other species | Skin infections; pneumonia; invasive sinus and brain infections | Persons with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus or immune suppressing diseases, therapies, or conditions |
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