What is meant by yeast fungi on the skin?
Yeast fungi are a genus of mushrooms, which include the fungi Candida albicans, Kryptococcus neoformans and Malassezia furfur. They are also called shoot fungi. Yeast fungi can be found on the skin without any disease value, as part of the natural skin flora.
If they cause symptoms, it is usually a so-called opportunistic infection. These are infections that occur in states of increased vulnerability of an organism, for example in case of an immune deficiency or other previous diseases. Yeast fungus on the skin is therefore not a disease in the first instance and does not require treatment. Only when symptoms occur do yeasts represent a problem requiring treatment.
Causes of infection
As soon as the yeast fungi cause symptoms on the skin, a skin fungus disease is present which should be treated. In this context one speaks of opportunistic infections. Pre-existing conditions, immune deficiencies and other factors can cause the balance of the skin flora to shift in favor of the yeast fungus, causing it to multiply unchecked.
Then symptoms develop. In the following section the different yeast fungi and their causes will be described:
- Candida albicans skin candidosis: The yeast fungus Candida albicans is the most common pathogen of skin candidosis and is found almost exclusively in humans. The fungus is detectable on the skin of up to 30% of healthy people and has no disease value.
Changes in the skin flora or an immune deficiency can lead to overpopulation with the fungus. Main risk factors for a so-called candidosis are immunodeficient diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, HIV and tumors. Furthermore, patients who take drugs that weaken the immune system are also at risk.
These include glucocorticoids or cytostatic drugs. Even after an organ transplantation, the risk is increased due to the medication that strongly suppresses the immune system. The fungus can spread well in skin folds and in a moist environment, which is why too tight clothing, heavy sweating and overweight also promote candidosis of the skin.
The yeast fungus Malassezia furfur belongs to the natural skin flora of humans. In some cases it can cause a skin fungal infection known as pityriasis versicolor. The risk of such a spread of the fungus increases with stress and overweight. In addition, such pityriasis is more common in patients suffering from so-called seborrheic eczema. Strong sweating, as well as hot and humid climate also favor this.
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