With respect to their life cycles, how are fungal pathogens different than bacte

Superficial mycoses are fungal infections of surface body layers such as hair and skin. They are spread by contact with infected surfaces but generally cause benign and self-limiting diseases. Subcutaneous mycoses involve fungal infections of deeper skin layers (e.g., small wound or abrasion sites) and are caused by different fungal pathogens than those that cause superficial mycoses. Systemic mycoses are fungal infections of internal organs and can either be considered a primary systemic mycosis (in otherwise healthy individuals) or a secondary systemic mycosis (in an immunocompromised people). Systemic mycoses are the most severe of the three types.

Some bacterial pathogens have life cycles that depend on human infection to propagate and/or disperse the infectious agents, however fungal pathogens do not at all depend on humans to thrive. Pathogenic fungi essentially have an unlimited reservoir of soil, so they are especially difficult to eradicate. Pathogenic bacteria often have reservoirs that limit their abundance.