Professor Sheklakov, D.Sc. (Med.), Honoured Scientistof the Russian Federation, is the author ofmore than 250 scientific articles and 5 monographsdevoted to the problems of mycology and controlof fungal diseases. Many candidates and doctorsof medical science who work at research and therapeuticinstitutions in this country were broughtup under his guidance. At present, the author isEditor-in-Chief of the journal V e s t n i k d e r m a t o l o g t ii v e n e r o l o g i i and works as a consultant to theMoscow Mycological Centre. He also takes anactive part in public health education by writingfor periodicals and delivering lecturesThis book acquaints the general readerwith the spread of fungal diseases, featuresof their clinical course and prevention.Descriptions of fungi and mycoses causedby them are rarely found in the popularliterature, whereas many books and brochuresare devoted to bacterial and viralinfections. The author decided, therefore,to try to fill this gap.The author’s aim is to inform the readerabout the properties of fungi, the main characteristicsof the clinical course, epidemiology,and prevention of the most widespreaddermatophytoses and other typesof mycoses affecting the skin and mucosa.This book is mainly devoted to theseaspects of medical mycology.Translated from the Russian by Elena Shubina