Usually it does not proceed beyond this stage, however, in the immunosuppressed host it may spread through the blood to the meninges and other body areas . The disease is called cryptococcosis . Although Pneumocystis carinii , based on its appearance and sensitivity to antiprotozoan drugs, was long thought to be a protozoan, analysis of its ribosomes and cell wall show it to be more closely related to the fungi than the protozoans. 32C and Fig. To view additional photomicrographs of Candida , Crypyococcus , and Pneumocystis , see the AIDS Pathology Tutorial at the University of Utah and the Medical Mycology Research Center at the University of Texas .
Molds have a cell wall usually composed of chitin, sometimes cellulose, and occasionally both.
Molds grow by elongation at apical tips of their hyphae and thus are able to penetrate the surfaces on which they begin growing. These include the following. Molds may also reproduce sexually by sexual spores such as ascospores and zygospores but this is not common. The three most common dermatophytes are Microsporum, Trichophyton , and Epidermophyton . Another mold that commonly infects the skin is Malassezia furfur which causes tinea versicolor.