fungus

Malassezia is a genus of fungi naturally found on the skin surfaces of many animals, including humans. The researchers found it in urban apartments, although some strains have been known to cause infections in hospitals. Science Source hide caption

Every summer, downy mildew spreads from Florida northward, adapting to nearly every defense pickle growers have in their arsenals and destroying their crops. Bernd Settnik/Picture Alliance via Getty Images hide caption

A block of Tomme de Savoie cheese ages with a sweater of Mucor lanceolatus fungal mold. Mucor itself doesn't have a strong taste, but more flavorful bacteria can travel far and wide along its hyphae — the microscopic, branched tendrils that fungi use to bring in nutrients. Benjamin Wolfe/Benjamin Wolfe hide caption

You may be tempted to save a piece of a moldy loaf by discarding the fuzzy bits. But food safety experts say molds penetrate deeper into the food than what's visible to us. And eating moldy food comes with health risks. Alex Reynolds/NPR hide caption

Candida auris is a fungus that can cause invasive infections, is associated with high mortality and is often resistant to multiple antifungal drugs, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC hide caption

Mustafa Alnour Alhassan, 26, lost his leg to a flesh-eating fungal disease called mycetoma. Here, he sits beside his father, Alnour Alhassan, at the Mycetoma Research Center in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Neil Brandvold hide caption

You might be able to get fungus-free toenails, but it could cost you. Shelly Strazis/Uppercut/Getty Images hide caption

Cough? Check. Fever? Check. But bet you didn't think that this common fungus, Histoplasma capsulatum, could be making you sick. Science Source hide caption

Histoplasma capsulatum is common in soil in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. So how did it get a rancher in Montana sick? CDC hide caption

Looks clean up here, but down below it could be a mess. iStockphoto.com hide caption