[Fungal infection]

Untreated dermatological mycoses are easy to diagnose. Once treatment with corticosteroids has been initiated the diagnosis of a mycosis can be difficult. In the immunosuppressed patient (AIDS patients) typical dermatological manifestations can be lacking. Systemic antimycotic therapy requires precise detection of the pathogen concerned. Mistakes still made in surgical practice are incision of a tumour in the case of tinea profunda and the extraction of nails affected by fungi. In the healthy person yeasts are transient organisms present in the mouth and intestinal tract in contrast, the mouth and intestinal tract of patients in risk make up a reservoir of candida infection that can affect the internal organs. Cryptococcosis and aspergillosis are inhaled mycoses. Factors predisposing to mycoses influence the duration and the outcome of the course of illness. The most important of these factors in surgical practice is the immunosuppression. Systemic mycoses are difficult to recognize. In many cases organ mycoses can be diagnosed by CT. Continuous investigations of diagnostic cultures and serological tests can contribute to the diagnosis. Only cryptococcosis can be ascertained early by specific antigen demonstration in the serum. For this reason continuous serological testing for cryptococci is essential in AIDS patients.