Only a very small proportion of the thousands of species of fungi in the world can cause disease in plants or animals – these are the pathogenic fungi. The vast majority of fungi are saprophytic, feeding on dead organic material, and as such are harmless and often beneficial.

Are saprophytes harmful?

Saprophytes are organisms that get their nutrition from dead organic matter, including fallen wood, dead leaves or dead animal bodies. Saprophytes do not usually hurt living organisms. The reason saprophytes are so beneficial to the environment is that they are the primary recyclers of nutrients.

Do saprophytic bacteria cause disease?

The slowly growing saprophytic organisms may also cause localized cutaneous disease with or without involvement of local lymph nodes. These infections presumably arise because of the introduction of organisms via a breach in the integument.