Fungal infections inside the body are referred to as ___.

Fungal infections that occur inside the body are accurately referred to as systemic infections. This terminology is used because systemic infections affect multiple systems or organs and indicate that the infection has disseminated beyond a localized area to impact the entire body or significant portions of it.

Systemic fungal infections often arise when fungal spores are inhaled or enter the bloodstream, leading to widespread implications for the host's health, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. Examples include histoplasmosis and candidiasis, which can affect various organs, making timely diagnosis and treatment crucial.

In contrast, localized infections would refer to infections confined to a specific site or area, which is not the case with systemic infections. Invasive infections typically highlight the process by which an organism penetrates bodily tissues, but systemic infection specifically denotes the wide-reaching effects in the body, surpassing the notion of mere invasiveness. Chronic infections refer to the long-lasting nature of an infection but do not necessarily define its anatomical extent or the areas of the body affected.