In recent years, opportunistic and nosocomial fungal pathogens have been dominated by yeasts of the genus Candida. Most of the research has focused on Candida albicans since it is the most prominent etiological agent. There are numerous publications that describe the biology, virulence factors, morphology, immunity, genomics, diseases, and laboratory aspects of Candida albicans. In this chapter we offer a historic perspective of C. albicans and focus on other non-albicans candida (NAC) that cause serious disease. We review the current knowledge of emerging NAC pathogens with useful graphics and current references. This chapter is laid out as an overview and is geared for students seeking basic information and may be superficial for an infectious diseases clinician.
Part of the book: Candida Albicans