DISCUSSION OF PARASITIC FUNGI

A parasite is an organism that obtains its nutrition from another living organism at that individual's expense. As we will see, this definition of parasite can be a little weak when we consider predators. When a lion kills and consumes a zebra we would hardly call it a parasite, even though it fits our definition. In an opposite way, if a fungus kills and consumes a worm, is it a predator or a parasite? There are fuzzy areas here that are difficult to tease out and we will just have to take care not let them interfere with our discussions.

Fungi make good parasites. Unlike single-celled organisms such as bacteria they are not confined to surfaces. Hyphae, when well anchored, can penetrate the most resistant of tissues. They produce digestive enzymes of the most diverse sorts and a great variety of toxins, both useful substances for a parasite. Their fecundity is legendary; fungi can reproduce quickly and abundantly, making them tough to eliminate

Most groups of organisms, including humans, have fungal parasites. These range from ones that are barely detectable to others causing fatal diseases. These pages are divided into three parts, covering fungi parasitic on plants, animals and other fungi. Organisms belonging to groups other than these three also have fungal parasites but are not treated here. For example, amoebae, single-celled organisms that are not plants, animals or fungi, serve as hosts for some parasitic fungi. Try finding some of these using your web browser.