Diagnosis of Fungal Zoonoses

Fungal infections are on the rise, as are the challenges in their timely diagnosis and cure. Transmission of new fungal pathogens from animals to humans is also increasing due to increasing human–wildlife conflicts. The commercial availability of very few antifungals and the emerging antifungal resistance have added to these woes, especially for the treatment of invasive fungal infections. An overview of the diagnostic methods in mycology, both conventional and molecular, with their advantages and disadvantages is described in this chapter. This chapter also describes various diagnostic approaches for the diagnosis of zoonotic fungal infections, including the conventional as well as molecular techniques for fungal pathogen detection and identification.