What is the difference between bacterial and fungal infections?

Sometimes we always confuse some of the doctors' terms. For example, when we have athlete's foot, the doctor says it is a needle infection. When the wound becomes inflamed, the doctor says it is a bacterial infection. Although there is only a difference of one word, we understand that they are different. But the difference between bacterial and fungal infections is not very clear. So today I will give you a systematic introduction to the difference between the two.

Bacterial infection is an acute systemic infection caused by pathogenic bacteria or conditionally pathogenic bacteria invading the blood circulation, growing and multiplying, and producing toxins and other metabolites. It is clinically characterized by chills, high fever, rash, joint pain, and hepatosplenomegaly. Some may have infectious shock and migratory lesions. An acute systemic infection caused by pathogenic microorganisms invading the blood from wounds or infected lesions in the body. Clinically, some patients may also experience irritability, cold limbs and cyanosis, rapid pulse, rapid breathing, and decreased blood pressure. Especially the elderly, children, those with chronic diseases or weakened immune function, those who are not treated in time and those with complications may develop sepsis or septicemia.

Fungal infections are diseases caused by fungi or their products. Fungal diseases in a broad sense include allergies to fungal spores or products, poisoning caused by poisonous mushrooms or fungal toxins, etc. Fungal diseases in a narrow sense only include diseases caused by fungi invading the human body. Fungi originally belonged to the plant kingdom, but modern classification systems classify them as a separate kingdom. The following text focuses on fungal diseases in a narrow sense. Fungi are different from bacteria. They have true nuclear membranes, can produce spores, have no chlorophyll, reproduce sexually and asexually, produce branched hyphae, and have cell walls with chitin or cellulose. A small number of fungi can cause disease in humans and animals. Fungal diseases, especially dermatophytes, such as tinea manuum, tinea pedis, tinea corporis, and tinea cruris are very common. Systemic fungal diseases are less common but have a high mortality rate. For example, before the use of amphotericin B, the mortality rate of cryptococcal meningitis was as high as over 90%.

Although bacteria and fungi differ by only one letter, they are two completely different things. Fungal infections are generally more stubborn. However, no matter whether it is a fungal infection or a bacterial infection, once an infection occurs, you should not take it lightly and should take it seriously, because if it develops further, the harm will be very serious.