An Introduction to Fungi Flashcards

1
Q

What can fungi infect?

A

Plants

Insects

Amphibians

Mammals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is fungas?

A

A chemo-organotrophic eukaryoate that lacks chlorophyll and forms spores

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What does the cell wall of fungus contain?

A

Polysaccharides

Often chitin or glucan which absorbs nutrients

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is the classification based on?

A

Morphology (shape)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What do we informally refer to fungi as?

A

Moulds, yeasts or mushrooms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What are the 3 groups of fungus?

A

Basidomycetes

Ascomycetes

Zygomycetes

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is the sexual and asexual spore of basidomycetes?

A

Sexual spore is basidospore

Asexual spores is conidum

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What is the sexual and asexual spore of ascomycetes?

A

Sexual spore is ascospore

Asexual spore is conidium

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What is the sexual and asexual spore of zygomycetes?

A

Sexual spore is zygospore

Asexual spore is sporangiospore

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What are examples of basidomycetes?

A

Mushrooms

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are examples of ascompycetes?

A

Neurospora

Saccharomyces

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What are examples of zygomycetes?

A

Bread moulds

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are examples of basidiomycete pathogens?

A

Mucor

Rhizopus

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What are examples of ascompycete pathogens?

A

Cryptococcus

Malassezia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

What are examples of zygomycete pathogens?

A

Candida

Histoplasma

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is in the structure of a basidiomycete?

A

Basidospores

Sterigmata

Septum

Hypha

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is contained in ascomycetes and where?

A

Ascospores contained within a sac

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What is the structure of a zygomycete?

A

Rough walled zygote, contains one or more zygospore

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What are yeasts?

A

Fungi that favours a unicellular habit

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What are examples of non-fetal diseases caused by fungi?

A

Athletes foot (caused by epidermophyton)

Thrush (caused by candida spp)

Pityriasis versicolor (caused by malassezia spp)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What is athelete’s foot caused by?

A

Epidermorphyton

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What is thrush caused by?

A

Candida spp

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is pityriasis versicolor caused by?

A

Malassezia spp

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What are dermatophyte infections?

A

Fungi have enzymes that degrade and utalise keratin as a nutrient source which is caused by epidermorphyton

25
Q

What is degrading and utilising keratin as a nutrient known as?

A

Dermatophytosis

26
Q

What are 3 fungi that cause skin disease?

A

Epidermophyton floccosum

Microsporum canis

Trichophyton mentagrophytes

27
Q

What is pityriasis versicolour?

A

A yeast infection that also forms hyphae in infected skin

28
Q

What are examples of fungi that can cause fatal disease?

A

Candida spp

Asperigillus spp

29
Q

What does candida spp do?

A

Infects deep organs of patients with immune dysfunction

30
Q

What does asperigllus spp do?

A

Infects deep organs of patients undergoing chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation

31
Q

What are host factors that contribute to pathogenicity of fungal infections?

A

Favourable micro environments (warm, moist areas)

Broad antimicrobial agents reduce competition

Immunosuppresion creates window of opportunity for fungal infection

32
Q

What can immunosuppresion of hosts be?

A

Iatrogenic (illness caused by treatment)

Disease processes

33
Q

What are iatrogenic causes of immunosuppresion?

A

Steroids

Chemotherapy

Organ transplantation

34
Q

What is iatrogenic?

A

Illness caused by treatment

35
Q

What are disease processes that cause immunosuppresion?

A

AIDS

Leukaemia

36
Q

What kinds of infections do candida infections cause?

A

Oral

Vaginal

Skin

Nail

Urinary tract

37
Q

What kinds of fungi are the candida spp?

A

Yeasts

38
Q

What is dissemination?

A

Spreading

39
Q

What is the process of dissemination of candida spp?

A

1) Part of normal commensal gut flora
2) Antibacterial drugs wipe out competition
3) GI tract wall damaged
4) Spreads through blood

40
Q

What is hyphae?

A

Long branching structure of a fungi

41
Q

What is aspergillosis caused by?

A

Aspergillus spp

42
Q

What diseases does aspergillosis lead to?

A

Asthma

Aspergilloma

43
Q

What is the process of aspergillosis infecting?

A

1) Inhaled
2) Forms hyphae in lung tissue
3) Invades blood vessels

44
Q

What is cryptoccososis caused by?

A

Cryptococcus spp

45
Q

What are the cryptococcus spp?

A

Yeasts with a capsule

46
Q

What diseases does cryptoccososis lead to?

A

Pulmanory cryptococcosis

Meningitis

Disseminated infection in severely compromised hosts

47
Q

Why is too much and too little immunity to fungi a bad thing?

A

Too much leads to a hypersensitive response and too little leads to infection

48
Q

How is fungi diagnosed?

A

Histopathology (under the microscope)

High resolution CT scan

49
Q

What are the 3 main classes of anti-fungal drugs?

A

Triazoles (target steroids)

Echinocardins (target walls)

Polyenes (target membranes)

50
Q

What do triazoles target?

A

Steroids

51
Q

What do echinocandins target?

A

Cell wall

52
Q

What do polyenes target?

A

Membrane

53
Q

What are common problems with anti-fungal drugs?

A

Targets are not broad enough

High toxicity

54
Q

How do triazoles work?

A

Inhibit production of sterols by targeting enzymes (Erg11)

55
Q

What is an issue with triazoles?

A

Resistance has been developed my mutation of Erg11 which pumps the drug out

56
Q

How do polyenes work?

A

Form pores in the cell wall that cahnges the internal environment and kill the fungi

57
Q

How do echinocandins work?

A

Inhibit glucose synthesis to prevent glucans being made, which weakens the cell wall and they cannot grow

58
Q

What is a problem with echinocandins?

A

Resistance is acquired by mutations of enzymes