Why are there leukocytes in the urine with a fungal infection?
What happens in the body with fungal infections?
In technical terms, an infection with fungi is called mycosis. The organism reacts to the foreign body by increasing the production of white blood cells. If their number exceeds the normal value, it is excreted in the urine. This is why there are leukocytes in the urine when there is a fungal infection . Likewise, the white blood cells protect the body from bacteria, viruses and parasites.
The mycoses appear in different forms, with the number of leukocytes depending on the severity of the disease. In addition to superficial fungal infections, there are invasive diseases. If the fungi are inside the organism, the concentration of the white blood cells usually rises promptly.
Fungal infection and leukocytes in urine combined
In the event of an infection with different types of fungi, the body’s own defense cells activate. The white blood cells track down the pathogens and destroy them. In the case of a mycosis, fungi enter the organism through food or through a contact infection. As a result, there is an increased production of white blood cells. They are excreted via the urine. Therefore, those affected by a fungal infection find leukocytes in the urine.
You can recognize the cells by the white flakes in the urine. In order to protect the body from the pathogens, the mycosis is usually accompanied by leukocytosis . The technical term describes the increase in the concentration of white blood cells.
What happens with a fungal infection?
Mycosis is usually a fungal disease. The infection does not necessarily go hand in hand with the onset of the disease. Predominantly a weakened immune system increases the susceptibility to the health complication. Well-known pathogens include yeasts and mycelial fungi. If an infection occurs, the mycoses spread parasitically within the living tissue. In addition to humans, amphibians are also affected by fungal infections. They contract chytridiomycosis. A 1998 study linked the infection to global amphibian extinction.
In humans, the mycoses often lead to skin rashes or itching. The symptoms are characteristic of superficial fungal infections. For example, yeast causes the disease candidiasis. The pathogens often attack the mucous membranes and multiply by leaps and bounds. Women in particular suffer from vaginal thrush, which is accompanied by a strong burning sensation and vaginal dryness. If the fungi enter the bloodstream via the lungs, it is a systemic mycosis. Medical professionals also use the term invasive fungal infection.
In each of the two cases, the infestation of the fungi leads to an increased production of the antibodies. The white blood cells have the task of removing foreign bodies from the organism. If patients suffer from a mycosis, the body’s own immune system ensures an increased concentration of white blood cells. It plays a subordinate role whether the infection is superficial or invasive. In the event of an acute infestation, the organism mainly produces short-lived defense cells, the shape of which differs from the regular cells.
This means that the newly formed white blood cells are of a special size. If they die after completing their task, the body excretes them in the urine. Therefore, in the course of a fungal infection, there are leukocytes in the urine. Depending on the severity of the disease, the body fluid appears slightly flaky to sticky. The latter is a sign of a high concentration of white blood cells in the urine.
How does the body react to mycoses?
1.7 billion people worldwide have suffered from a fungal infection in their lifetime. An international team of researchers came to the conclusion in the study “Fungi kill up to 1.5 million people a year”. At the same time, the scientists demonstrate the risk associated with a mycosis. Predominantly invasive infections remain undetected in those affected for a long period of time. Although leukocytes appear in the urine with the internal fungal infection, the patients fail to recognize the exact cause. The reason is that the white blood cells also multiply with other foreign bodies.
As soon as the immune system recognizes the fungal attack, the number of antibodies increases. As a result, their quantity exceeds the normal range, which is between 4,000 and 10,000 pieces per microliter of blood. When the leukocytes increase, the three subgroups increase:
- lymphocytes,
- granulocytes
- and monocytes .
The lymphocytes in particular are normally located in the lymphatic system, for example the liver or the lymph nodes. In the case of a fungal infection, they get into the blood vessels, so that an increased concentration can be seen when taking a blood sample. The timely overproduction of antibodies ensures that some cells have a faulty formation. They die faster and also get out of the body via the urine. For this reason, too, the fungal infection is accompanied by leukocytes in the urine.
When is leukocyte production regulated?
If those affected recognize the white blood cells in the excreted body fluid, the doctors speak of leukocyturia . As a rule, the phenomenon indicates an infection or inflammation. If patients suffer from a fungal infection, the antibodies are repeatedly excreted. The acutely formed leukocytes often die within four to six days. This distinguishes them from the white blood cells that the organism forms in healthy people. Their lifespan is up to two weeks. As soon as the cells die, the sufferers notice the white flakes in the urine.
The body can only keep up the overproduction of leukocytes for a certain period of time. If the fungal infection is not treated, the production of leukocytes comes to a standstill. Leukocytosis progresses to leukopenia . Doctors understand the term to mean a number of white blood cells below the normal range. As a result, no antibodies get into the urine. The leukocyturia is interrupted.
Only when the production of leukocytes resumes does the body fluid contain the dead elements again. If the mycosis is treated, the work of the body’s immune system is regulated. This means that the number of leukocytes decreases to the average level. As a result, the white flakes disappear in the urine. The treatment of fungal infections depends on the type of pathogen and the severity of the infestation.
