FUNGI

Fungi include mushrooms, molds, and yeasts. Unlike plants, fungi do not make their own food. Some species of fungi get their nutrition by breaking down the remains of dead plants or animals. Others are parasites that feed on living host species, including humans, sometimes causing diseases such as athlete's foot.

Lung Infection Fungus

Found in moist habitats, this fungus grows where there are bird or bat feces. When inhaled by humans, it causes a lung infection—histoplasmosis—estimated to affect 200,000 people in the U.S. each year.

Penicillium Notatum

While some fungi cause diseases, others help save lives. Penicillium notatum, grown on a laboratory culture dish, contaminated one of Alexander Fleming's bacterial culture plates in 1928. This led to the production of penicillin, an antibiotic often used in treating bacterial infections.

Candida albicans—yeast infections

Yeast fungi flourish in our mouths, genitals, and areas of skin where it finds decayed organic matter. Candida albicans may exist in the body without causing disease, only becoming a problem when it grows too much. It causes diaper rash, vaginal yeast infections, and thrush, a common childhood condition that is often a secondary infection of the mouth suffered by people with AIDS.